Butterfly Effect
by CrazyBeaver
Summary: Our future is defined by the events of the past. But what happens when these connections get twisted? Reviews are welcome!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this is quite a risky idea but since the crossover I did with PeggsterLover turned out alright, I decided to roll the dice with this one. Hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I don't own either of the movies used._

**Chapter 1**

"Okay, listen, will you shut up already!" the words were really strange coming from Benji, who usually tended to be on the receiving end of such remarks. However, now it seemed like the last concern Jane and Ethan could have. He was dragging Brandt along with him, and even from this distance the other two agents could see the blood soaking through the analyst's shirt, painting it red. Brandt seemed to be trying to say something, not loudly enough for them to hear, only to be silenced quite harshly by his friend.

Wasting no time, Hunt and Carter both rushed to their colleagues.

"What happened?" Jane asked as Ethan threw Brandt's arm around his shoulders to help drag him towards the van parked nearby.

"We've been ambushed," Benji breathed as soon as part of the former analyst's weight was lifted off him. Jane just nodded. Now was not the time to discuss matters any further.

They were in the middle of a mission which had been going quite smoothly up to that point. They had split up, doing separate parts of the job. Brandt and Benji were supposed to snatch certain codes from the computer of their target, Damian Knox, at his luxurious villa. Jane and Ethan's task was to ensure that Knox and his men were out and watch for his possible approach. The team leader could have sworn he had seen Knox leaving for a run. Apparently that had been a hoax. Ethan made a mental note to kick himself once they were safe, pushing all emotions to the side. He was sure he heard some noise behind them but didn't have the time to turn and see when he heard a gunshot.

"We've got to hurry!" Jane exclaimed, her gun still on full alert after taking down one of Knox's men. At that very second she reached the door of the van and slid it open, letting Ethan drag the half-conscious ex-analyst inside.

Carter proceeded to make her way to the driver's seat but had to stop when she saw Benji just standing near the vehicle, shaking slightly, his gaze turned to the villa, an unidentifiable expression on his face. At first she wondered if he was hurt but he didn't seem to have any visible injuries apart from several bruises, a split lip and a nose bleed. Suddenly realization came to her. Over his time Benji surely had gotten some experience and had been though quite a few bad failures. But apparently now he really wasn't ready to deal with whatever had happened there. In a different situation she would have shown more compassion but now the former technician had to snap out of his shock and pull himself together. She had no idea whether there would be more goons after them but she was almost sure about it.

"Benji, stop standing there like a statue and get your ass inside!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. The Brit shrugged at her words and mumbled "sorry" before climbing into the van and taking a seat next to Ethan who was trying to see how bad Brandt's injury was.

Brandt was taking air in short gasps, every one of which seemed painful and exhausting. He had a gunshot wound in his side and was losing blood from it rapidly, becoming weaker with every second.

As soon as Benji closed the door behind him, more gunshots were heard from outside. The fact that the van was bulletproof was quite reassuring but they still couldn't feel completely secure.

"Jane, try to shake them off if they follow us," Ethan ordered while trying to stop the former analyst's bleeding, as if it wasn't a completely obvious thing.

"They won't," the Brit said quietly but the team leader heard him.

"Benji, what exactly happened?" he asked glancing at the blond man for a second before turning his gaze back to Brandt. "Why won't they follow us? Where's Knox?"

"Dead," the Brit replied, ignoring the first two questions and still trying to catch his breath while looking intently at his injured teammate.

"Ben… ji…" Brandt forced out of his mouth. The sound of his voice made everyone flinch as it was so uncharacteristically weak and low.

"I'm here," Benji moved a bit closer to the wounded agent. "We're safe now. You are going to be fine".

"If Knox is dead…" Ethan voiced his and Jane's thought, "how are we going to stop the operation he initiated? Only he knew the code which could cancel the transportation of weapons. Did you get it?"

"It's not just the one code," Benji corrected. "It's a system. And no, I didn't get it from him, sorry. Was a little bit preoccupied with other things".

The team leader didn't seem to appreciate the sarcasm of the last statement.

"It wasn't anywhere on his computer or other possessions anyway," the Brit added as the gunfire outside stopped.

"Which is why we would need him alive," Ethan found it really hard to control his anger at the moment. Knox had made a deal with several terrorist groups to supply them with weapons. His agents in different countries would get messages about their further actions unless Knox himself cancelled the deal using certain codes.

"I think I've figured out this system," Benji said in a low voice.

"You _think_," Ethan hissed coldly, unable to hide his frustration. He really wanted to know what had happened there but decided to talk once they (and mainly Brandt) were safe.

"So you are blaming me for killing Knox because you missed him and let us walk into the trap?" the Brit didn't actually get really angry that often but now the atmosphere was quite heated. Ethan paused, knowing that there was a point in those words. In the driver's seat Jane couldn't help the flashbacks of killing Moreau in Dubai. Ironically, Benji was kind of related to that incident, too… However, she decided not to bring that up right now.

The team leader was about to say something but was interrupted.

"Benji…" Ethan didn't know what worried him more, Brandt's voice sounding even weaker and more pained than before or the fact that the analyst was looking at him while saying Benji's name, either not recognizing him or confusing the names.

"For Christ's sake, will you give him some painkillers," Benji groaned, and Ethan nodded, filling a syringe. The rest of the way to the hospital went in complete silence.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So here comes the tricky part… I hope you enjoy it. The story will be moved to the crossover section when the next chapter is posted._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the movies or the characters in them!_

**Chapter 2**

It was hard to describe what the agents were feeling at the moment. Brandt was at surgery, they had made it. They should feel at least some relief. And yet Brandt was still badly injured, and they were completely helpless. While driving to the hospital it had seemed that they could have controlled at least some aspects of the situation. Now all they could do was wait.

Benji's mind seemed to be overloaded. He had way too many thoughts for a single head, which didn't combine well with the sickening feeling of worry. There were more feelings actually. Aside from the obvious, some of his instincts were telling him that he had overlooked something. He couldn't possibly point out what it was but it felt like too many details didn't hold up. He tried to concentrate but didn't even know what he should concentrate on: his injured teammate, the codes and the rest of the mission, something his subconscious was trying to tell him or… He buried his face in his hands. It felt like his head was going to explode. The sound of an opening door put an end to his mental race against himself, making him jolt upright in his chair.

Ethan saw the Brit's evident inner struggle. He knew he was supposed to say something but couldn't come up with anything that hadn't undoubtedly crossed the younger agent's mind. He looked over at Jane who also looked fairly alarmed. He knew how protective of her team she always felt. Sometimes even more so than himself. The sound of Benji covering his face with his hands pushed the team leader towards the decision to start the conversation, but just as he was about to say the standard and barely reassuring "Everything is going to be fine", the door they had all been subconsciously giving impatient and hopeful glances opened, letting out a tired doctor. He seemed to be so exhausted that he didn't have the strength to show any emotion, which didn't make it any easier for the three agents.

"Mr. Brandt is very lucky to have gotten here on time," he let his lips form a tiny smile at the sight of the three faces in front of him lighting up with hope. "The surgery went successfully. He should make a full recovery. Everything is going to be fine".

Ethan, Jane and Benji all let out a breath they had been holding since the doctor's entrance. Ethan had to admit that the words he had been going to say earlier without hoping for them to have any effect were a thousand times more powerful and comforting coming from a doctor.

"However," the medic spoke up again, making them all tense again, "the wound is very serious. You'll be able to see your friend soon but he'll be asleep for a while in order to make the healing process less painful".

The three visitors nodded understandingly. In fact, the doctor remarked, there seemed to be too much understanding. As if they had an experience of dealing with similar situations. He smirked to himself and shook his head at the thought before leaving the trio for another portion of waiting.

Benji let his head rest against the wall. At least some of his emotions were gone, making it easier to think. He decided to ignore some moments from the recent past and focus on the present. And the future. The mission. The codes. He hadn't spent long in his meditation before realization hit him hard. _Shit_. For the second time in the past few minutes he jolted in his seat before turning to his team leader.

"Ethan," he started awkwardly. "I need to leave you for a while".

The older agent's incredulous glare spoke volumes before he even opened his mouth.

"What?" was the logical ending of the glare.

"Yeah," Benji felt more and more uncomfortable every second, which made him speak faster. "I think I've just broken the code. I need to confirm if I right. We left some of the equipment at the safe house…"

"Now?" Jane intervened, her expression completely matching the team leader's.

"Otherwise it might be too late," the Brit blurted out before looking back at Ethan. "It won't take long".

Hunt scanned his friend's face for a few moments, pondering whether it was right to let him go alone. He figured that, with Knox dead, it was unlikely for someone to try and chase any of them or look for their hideouts. After a short but intense silence he finally nodded.

"Alright," he said. "But you must get in touch every 30 minutes. We need to be safe".

Benji jumped to his feet and rushed to the door, not wanting to lose any time and feeling like all kinds of crap. Because as important as this mission was, he felt bad for leaving Brandt like this. Hopefully, he would be back by the time the analyst woke up. Something in the back of his head was still screaming that he was missing something important. He knew he was missing something. He wasn't sure how important it was but something was very, very wrong.

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"How long have we been staying here?"

"Seven days, Captain".

"Mister Spock, that question meant that I'm annoyed that we still haven't figured out anything. I know how long it's been since we got here".

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's very illogical to say something while meaning something else," he commented. Kirk just smirked to himself.

It had been, indeed, a week. A week since they had noticed a Klingon ship and established its intentions as violent. Even though the aggression hadn't been directed at the Enterprise, the Captain had made the decision to follow the ship. After some shaking and other temporary malfunctions the final destination turned out to be Earth. However, the time period was the main concern, as it looked like early 21st century. A sound from the communication panel interrupted Kirk's train of thoughts.

"Captain," Uhura's voice seemed hopeful. "It's Mr. Scott. He says he has managed to catch the trace of the Klingons we are after".

After a nod from Kirk she pressed a few buttons on her panel. Not wanting to waste any time, Kirk spoke quickly.

"Good job, Scotty. Meet you at the transporter room. We're gonna beam down, and we're gonna need you there".

"Aye, Captain," came the short reply.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews! I'm so happy you find the idea interesting! There is a lot of stuff going on in this chapter… hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own either of the movies used._

**Chapter 3**

Benji tried to be as careful as possible, paying attention to any noise he could register. All was clear on his way. Even though it was to be expected, he was kind of surprised with it. By this point he was used to things always going wrong. Whenever something went as planned, it only meant there was something else, possibly completely unpredicted, just about to happen when he least expected it.

Just like with Knox… Benji couldn't believe Ethan Hunt had made such a mistake. _A mistake that nearly took Brandt's life away…_

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"_There you are," the ex-technician heard a voice say, feeling something press against the back of his head, making him stop his search. Following the movement of the object he undoubtedly recognized as a barrel of a gun, he turned round and felt even more shivers down his spine._

_Before that he had only seen Knox in photos. He hadn't seemed special in any way in them. However, now that he was looking at the man in real life, he couldn't suppress the feeling that something about him was horribly off._

_Judging by the pictures, Damien Knox had blond hair and blue eyes, Benji knew that type, he was somewhat like that, too. In real life Knox's hair looked bleached. His skin was unnaturally white. He kind of looked like an albino but his eyes didn't support that theory, being the most offsetting feature. They weren't red as people's with albinism were. They weren't even blue as Benji had assumed from photos. They were some unnatural, bright, electric shade of blue, which shouldn't be possible for people to have. The man seemed like he could turn someone into ice just by looking at them. Benji shook himself. He had more important things to care about than someone's unusual appearance. He hoped that Brandt had heard those words and would come to help him soon._

_The agent looked at Knox once again. The way he was holding the gun, now aiming right at the former technician's face, looked a bit unsteady and inexperienced. Knox opened his mouth to say something but the noise from outside the room made him freeze. Benji's heart was pounding in his chest even harder than before as he was listening to the sounds of a fight and later gunshots. Just a few seconds later Brandt walked into view. This time, however, Knox was faster than him. There was another shot and the analyst fell to the floor, turning Benji's blood into ice more effectively than anyone's freaky appearance._

"_Now we can talk without anyone interrupting," Knox said casually with an inappropriately genuine smile which made the whole deal even creepier…_

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Having reported to Ethan that everything was just fine, Benji opened the door and walked inside. Even though he knew there was no reason for him to be followed now, he let out a breath of relief when he found the apartment empty. Without wasting a second he crossed the room and started his laptop. It was then that he noticed just how much his hands were shaking. The agent gritted his teeth. _Not now_.

He proceeded to type as the shaking increased in intensity, accompanied by ringing in his ears. Eventually he had to pause as he was beginning to hit the wrong keys. He closed his eyes and took a few breaths. It seemed to help as he got himself under control and continued working. The ringing was also fading out, just in time for him to hear something resembling footsteps behind him. Instinctively he turned in his seat but wasn't fast enough to avoid a punch to the temple which sent him to the floor. Somehow managing to roll to his side and get on his feet before receiving any more hits, Benji stood to face his attacker, only to find that there were more than one of them. Something about the way they looked was off… but he had no time to think about it, dodging their attacks and trying to fight back.

Benji knew he didn't stand a chance against the four intruders he was now facing. He managed to knock one of them out and reached out to grab his gun which lay by his laptop but felt strong hands grab his shoulders and pull him back. Almost at the same moment something sharp was pressed against his neck, the blade digging into his skin and slightly breaking it. Benji froze and shut his eyes tightly. He knew he was only one movement away from death. He sensed his captor's arm begin to move but instead of a knife cutting through his flesh he felt the hand drop to his side. At the same time there was some odd noise behind him followed by the three intruders falling motionlessly to the floor. Free at last, Benji finally grabbed his gun and spun around, his free hand pressing against the cut on his neck, the drops of blood making his fingers wet and sticky.

What he saw, however, made him pause in making any decisions. There were three people in front of him. Two of them moved to check on the fallen goons. One was completely ordinary looking; the other seemed like one of those hipster types, wearing a hoodie and black-framed glasses. Some people nowadays wore those even when they had perfect sight (which, Benji reckoned, was the case). Once he decided that those two didn't pay much attention to him and the threat wasn't likely to come from them, he moved his gaze to the third man who stood in front of him. Something about him was weird. The face was certainly familiar but he had trouble placing it. It took him a while until something in his head clicked. When it did, he felt that his legs were about to give out. It essentially felt like he was looking in the mirror. _Maybe it was someone wearing a mask?..._ The man, however, had dark brown hair, which was a bit longer than Benji's. And he also seemed to be experiencing the same emotions, as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. The two of them froze, aiming their weapons at each other.

"Who are you?" Benji's voice was somewhat higher than he had expected but, given the circumstances, he didn't care. He tightened his grip on the gun, as if it was the last link to reality he had.

"C-c-calm down there, laddie," the man had a Scottish accent and sounded almost as nervous as the agent was. "Put your weapon down, I've got a phaser, too, y'know".

"You've got a _phaser_?" Benji felt that, regardless of how hard he was gripping his gun, reality was still slipping away. He had no idea what this man was talking about, who he was and, most importantly, why he looked so much like him. Maybe he was hallucinating. That seemed like a logical explanation…

The ordinary looking guy who had been the first to walk in turned to him, his eyes also widening.

"What have you done to them?" Benji motioned towards the unmoving forms on the floor. He had way too many questions to ask and spat them out without sorting them in terms of relevance.

"They just fainted," the man tried to sound soothing while the Scotsman kept staring at Benji.

"But… who… wha…" Benji was stuttering now. He moved his gaze around the room as he remembered there was supposed to be a third person there. Not having this third person in his view made him more frantic. Just as he started to turn his head around, he felt something pinch near the base of his neck and everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for staying with me! Here's the new chapter… Sorry it's a bit short… Hope you enjoy it anyway!_

_I don't own any of the characters or the movies._

**Chapter 4**

Spock lowered the unconscious man to the ground carefully and paused, looking at his face.

"Fascinating," he commented, his gaze jumping from the blond stranger to the chief engineer who was still remaining silent.

Kirk also joined the staring but shook himself fast enough.

"Kirk to Enterprise," he said, taking out his communicator. "Prepare to beam seven people on board".

"Wait," Scotty finally managed to unfreeze and look around him, noticing the four attackers lying on the floor. "Aren't we taking him with us, too?" he pointed at his unexpected twin.

"No," Kirk replied, not too confidently though. "When he wakes up he might just assume he hit his head and had a weird dream or something".

Scotty looked at the Vulcan who raised an eyebrow, pondering the Captain's suggestion.

"It seems best that we don't advertise our whereabouts more than we already have," he offered. "If we take him, there is almost no doubt someone may go looking for him. And considering the fact that we are traveling back in time, we should be careful in order not to change the course of history".

"But they attacked him!" the engineer didn't give up. "He's in danger!"

"And we are removing the threat so he will be safe now," Kirk retorted flatly.

The Scotsman looked down, defeated. To be honest, the main reason why he wanted to take this stranger onboard was plain curiosity. He really wondered who this man was and why they looked so alike. He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it. They had more work left to do. Like figuring out how to get back to their own time. But not before they would have dealt with the reason of their initial travel though…

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Benji woke up with a throbbing headache. At first he tried to remember what had happened. Once he did, he reckoned that remembering wasn't the issue. He had trouble trying to make sense of his memories. And found it way too difficult to do, deciding to put the task aside for a while.

_Maybe it was a hallucination, _he thought. _If it was, I need to hurry. Might have even less time than I thought…_ He felt a lump in his throat and shook his head in order to clear his mind. As he did so, he felt the collar of his jacket rub against a fresh cut on his neck, making him hiss. _So it wasn't entirely a hallucination then_…

Benji made a final decision to put this incident into the long list of things he would deal with after the mission was accomplished, when he heard the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. It must have been more than half an hour since his last phone call to Ethan. _Dammit_.

"Why the hell didn't you get in touch as ordered?" as Benji had expected, the team leader didn't sound happy at all.

"I… I got carried away, sorry," the ex-technician mumbled, his voice still shaking and unsteady with doubt in everything that had happened in recent 24 hours.

"Are you alright?" now the annoyance was mixed with a hint of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the Brit made a colossal effort to make it sound as casual as possible. "How's Brandt?"

"No changes yet," he heard Ethan sigh.

"Got it. I'm on my way," the techie hung up without waiting for a reply. He didn't have much time and the mission was yet to be completed.

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"And we won't even find out why they were after him?" Scotty asked as he stood near Kirk, Spock and McCoy, watching their still unconscious captives being restrained and getting prepared for the interrogation.

"This is what we're gonna find out," the captain cut him off. "Along with how they changed their appearance and how and why they got to this point in time. And where their captain is".

The Scotsman nodded.

"Can you let me know when they wake up?" he asked, pulling himself together. After receiving a reassuring nod, he turned and walked to the engineering room.

"What's wrong with him?" McCoy demanded to know once the door behind Scotty had closed. Kirk shrugged and turned to his first officer.

"Do you think that guy…" he didn't finish the question but the Vulcan understood it anyway, returning the captain's shrug.

"He bared an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Scott. It can be just a coincidence which, as I have been informed, tend to happen in the course of human history. However, I think Mr. Scott suspects that there is a possibility that he and that man can be related".


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you for your lovely reviews! I hope you'll find this chapter interesting, too…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own them._

**Chapter 5**

Ethan Hunt missed the point in time when Benjamin Dunn entered the small waiting room he and Jane Carter were sitting in. All the thoughts in his head made him black out for a few seconds, so that when he looked up, the English agent was standing right in front of him, making him jump.

"How's Brandt?" Benji's voice was breathy and shaking. Ethan gave him a more careful look. The technician looked shaken and seemed agitated in general to say the least.

"Still nothing," Jane replied, giving a glance to the team leader who kept studying the younger man.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

"Yeah," Benji nodded. "I was just in a hurry to get here, you know… Wanted to check on Brandt and all… And I should tell you the traffic in this place is fu…"

"What's that on your neck?" Ethan asked harshly, interrupting the Brit's babbling. Benji had learned to control it by this time, so the fact that he couldn't pull himself together this time also looked suspicious. The question made Jane draw her full attention to her teammates.

"Paper cut," the tech went stiff and looked down. He sensed his colleagues didn't believe him and he knew way too well that the cut on his neck was too deep to be explained that way. However, he didn't know how to explain it anyway. He couldn't believe what he remembered, and if his own mind had become too confusing for him… Benji swallowed. He had no time to waste. At the same time, he had no idea what to do. He flopped into a chair next to Jane, trying to keep further away from the team leader whose suspicious glance was still focused on him. As soon as he was in the seat, the Brit sighed in slight relief as now he was shielded from Ethan's view by Jane.

There was a long silence. Nobody knew what to say and they were too tired to speak anyway. Benji tried to figure out how long he had left. Knox's weapons dealing operation was due to start in about 37 hours. He reckoned they had about 36 hours to get to Knox's headquarter which wasn't far away and type the codes he had already figured out into the computer. It didn't look so difficult. But that wasn't the time limit Benji was worried about. _I'm gonna wait for Brandt to wake up and make my move then_, he thought.

It was getting late and the movement in the building began to die out. Soon the only noise left was coming from the television set hanging on the wall further down the corridor and the occasional hospital staff passing by. Benji glanced over at Jane to see she had fallen asleep. Ethan was miles away, and Benji had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking about. He wanted to tell the team leader not to worry so much about missing out Knox, that what had happened was in the past. But at the same time he knew Ethan had already had those thoughts. Besides, he felt he was in no position to tell Ethan Hunt what to do. He himself had a lot in his mind, too, but it was too much, really. Benji just focused on the television instead, as he could see it very well and the general silence made the sound more audible.

A news report was on. The Englishman sighed. After preventing a global nuclear war and accomplishing some other missions, after he and his colleagues risked their lives in order to keep what little peace was left in this world, hearing about new wars breaking out and the old ones sometimes getting worse was just disappointing. Eventually it went to other things. Benji almost stopped paying attention when a familiar name made him focus again.

"… The victim has been identified as Damien Knox. The body was found in the attic of his villa but it is not clear whether it is where the murder took place…"

Benji swallowed. The murder. He knew he had done what he had had to but the word still made him shrug. It implied he was a murderer and even though he kind of was, he knew that he wasn't really. He shook his head. Besides, he knew the 'murder' didn't take place in the attic anyway as they had been in the living room. He wondered why Knox's men had moved the body there. He had to tell his brain to shut up and kept listening to the report.

"The murder weapon hasn't been found yet, however the police think it might have been a hunting knife or something of that sort, as the death was caused by cutting the victim's throat…"

Benji did a double take. Then his eyes got glued to the screen. He knew first hand that it couldn't be true. He had shot Knox in the head with Knox's own gun after disarming him. He stared at the screen blankly as some photos of the blond man were shown. Benji had seen some of them. Not any single one of them had that albino look possessed by the man the agent had encountered.

"It's impossible," Benji found himself muttering. A bit funny for an Impossible Mission Force agent to be calling something impossible but he was in no state of mind to think about the irony now. So it wasn't the real Knox he had killed. Who was it then? And where was that man's body? So masks were involved. Would explain a later incident Benji had been involved into. And how did whoever it was know about the mission? A mole in IMF? Again? Or was all of this just tricks of his ill mind? Benji bit his lip. He felt like he had to tell the others about everything he was hiding but then they wouldn't let him go on with the mission. And the mission had to be accomplished. As soon as possible. While he still could do it. Swallowing hard, he turned to the team leader.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thank you for your reviews! They mean A LOT to me! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint…_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own either of the movies/franchises._

**Chapter 6**

Doctor Leonard McCoy had seen many strange things in his life. Somehow it never stopped him from still getting shocked whenever it happened. At the moment he was staring at the four captives while they were literally transforming into someone else. The human features were fading slowly, and soon the medic was looking at four unconscious Klingons. He pushed a button on the panel. Surely Jim and Spock would love to know about this…

Soon the sickbay was filled with the Enterprise's highest ranking officers. Kirk, Spock and Scotty who had been called by the Captain a few minutes earlier were all standing there looking at the revelation.

"Fascinating," Spock whispered under his breath. "Apparently they are using some kind of technology which allows them to change their form".

"Maybe it was some sort of drug?" Kirk asked, turning his head towards McCoy. "Is there a way to change your appearance somehow?"

"Jim, I am a doctor, not a make-up artist," was the reply. "If I knew anything about it, I would have told you".

Scotty was about to say something but decided against it as he saw the captives begin to stir.

Kirk took his time thinking what question to ask first, as the Klingons were coming to and looking around them in bewilderment. Their gazes eventually grew even more confused as they fell on the engineer who did his best to ignore it.

"Why are you here?" he asked, deciding to skip the part with their names. He didn't really care. That would come out later eventually.

"We were obeying our Captain's order," one of the Klingons answered without any apparent intention to elaborate on that.

"How did you change your appearance?" Spock intervened, unable to hold back his scientific interest. The question was met with silence.

"What's that?" the doctor asked, nodding his head in the captive's direction. He walked up to him and removed an item attached to the Klingon's belt. Scotty also came close and took it in his hand.

"Somehow I think this thing has something to do with it all," he muttered, noticing similar devices on the other Klingons' belts. "I'll study these and report about it," he addressed the Captain.

Kirk nodded.

"What did you want with the man you attacked?" he proceeded with the interrogation. "Were you trying to kill him?"

"He killed our captain," the Klingon retorted. "It's the matter of justice".

"Justice?" Kirk's voice was louder than it should be but he didn't pay attention to that. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to go back in time and intervene with the events? Changing the course of history! If you had killed him, I cannot begin to describe the damage you might have done!"

The Klingon just shrugged. The captain took a breath to recompose himself.

"How did he kill your captain?" he asked. "Why were you even here in the first place?" There was another shrug instead of a reply.

Kirk began to lose control over himself.

"Captain, let me try," Spock suggested. "I am going to need to be left alone with each of them".

"You sure about this?" McCoy asked with a shade of doubt in his voice.

"It's an old Vulcan technique," Spock shrugged. "There is a chance that it will work".

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Later the officers all gathered in the conference room. Spock's interrogation didn't give much information. Apparently, the captured Klingons really didn't know anything about the purpose of their travel and had merely been trying to avenge their captain's death. They had no idea who the man there were after was and why their captain had gone through so much trouble getting to this point of time in order to meet him. However, the first officer had managed to find out the coordinates of the Klingon ship. Kirk knew what to do.

"We'll send them a message saying that they are under arrest. I believe trying to deliberately change history like that must be a crime. Then Spock and I are going to beam aboard their ship," he said matter-of-factly. "Mr. Scott, you're in charge".

"Aye, sir," Scotty seemed to have more things on his mind though.

"Have you figured out anything about the devices they were wearing yet?" the captain asked, noticing the engineer's slightly absent look.

"Not much, captain. I've never seen anything like that before. Looks like the major problem with these things is the source of energy. They just needed to recharge, so the Klingons changed back into their own forms".

Kirk nodded and stood up, signalling the others that the meeting was over. He didn't want to waste time and put an end to this absurd story. And then get back to their own time…

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"What?" Ethan couldn't quite grasp what Benji had just said. "You want to go and enter those codes _now_? But we've got more time. Shouldn't we check on Brandt first?"

"I… I don't know if we have that long," the Brit was stumbling over his words. If he tried to explain what was actually going on, he would probably lose even more time. Explanations could wait.

"I think we should wait," Jane joined the conversation. She couldn't understand what was going on with the technician. Didn't he care about Brandt's condition? They had seemed to be arguing when Jane and Ethan had met them before getting to the hospital. Was he avoiding Brandt for some reason? Or was he trying to escape now? What exactly had happened in Knox's villa? How had Brandt gotten hurt? She tried to block those thoughts but when you work as a secret agent, you tend to get quite cynical…

"Jane, trust me, we can't wait," the Englishman tried to sound as calm as possible. _I can't wait…_

"We can't just leave Brandt!" Jane exclaimed in a mix of confusion, anger and worry.

"Benji," Ethan put on his best authority mask. "Are you hiding something?"

"There is no time," Benji hated Ethan's glare he was now sensing on himself. He knew it too well. It seemed to be making holes in his head. "I will explain everything I can. Later. I promise, Ethan".

He tried to put on the stoniest expression possible.

"You can stay here with Brandt," he went on, looking at his teammates. It almost hurt to look at Jane. She was still angry but now she also looked betrayed. As if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Benji bit his lip. "I have to complete the mission," he added softly but firmly. "If I have to do it myself, so be it".

The Brit stood up from the hospital chair and walked to the exit, trying not to turn back and let his team see his face. Still shocked by the sudden outburst, Ethan looked at the female agent.

"I can't let him go by himself," he explained and watched her nod weakly. "Let me know if there is any news about Brandt".

Having received another nod from Jane, the team leader rushed to catch up with Benji.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! And your lovely support! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you._

_Disclaimer: still don't own them._

**Chapter 7**

Jane watched Ethan leave and let out a sigh as he walked out of her view. She was left alone in the relative quiet of the night at the hospital. A perfect opportunity to reflect on everything that had happened in the past several hours. The only problem was that Jane hated reflections. Whenever she had them, it was all about the feeling of guilt, failure or grief, be it Trevor's death, lost asset with valuable information, an injured teammate or just a failed mission in general. She had to take a few breaths to clear her mind.

She still had no idea what on earth had happened in that villa. And, come to think about it, Benji seemed to be deliberately hiding it, refusing to talk about it and being very silent whenever it was mentioned in the past few hours. Jane felt sick as her mind seemed to be running at a thousand miles per hour. She was suddenly hit with another realization. On their way to the hospital Brandt had called Benji's name several times. What if he hadn't been calling for Benji but was trying to tell _them_ something about Benji instead? What if Benji had some secret and Brandt had found it out? Jane actually felt guilty about her thoughts. Benji was her friend. Together they had been through hell. He had been there with her after Trevor had died. He had been part of the team and together they had carried out some insane missions.

Jane closed her eyes, trying to swallow the sickening lump in her throat. Surely if her suspicions were correct, Ethan would have figured it out by now. Or would he?... Ethan seemed to always trust Benji. She knew it had begun many years ago, when Benji had helped Ethan in some critical moment. The team leader had never told them the complete story but it seemed like something important, something he still felt grateful for. He would never suspect Benji of anything unfair. She was surprised at herself for being able to do so, as a matter of fact. She tried to convince herself otherwise, tried to tell herself that she had no proof that Benji had betrayed them or done anything bad at all and yet those suspicions were stabbing her mind like sharp thorns. The sound of footsteps made her instinctively open her eyes and look up without, however, interrupting her thoughts.

"Mister Brandt will wake up soon," the doctor seemed to be confused upon seeing only one person sitting there instead of three. However, he decided not to comment on it. "You can come in and sit with him until he does".

Jane nodded. _Whatever the truth is, Brandt will tell me when he wakes up_. She rubbed her eyes violently in an attempt to focus on staying away from her recent conclusions. She really hated reflections.

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Kirk found it quite relieving that there weren't many Klingons left on their small ship. Upon making sure that his security officers had everything under control, he proceeded to search through the captain's possessions, accompanied by Spock. They needed to figure out who that blond man was, what was it that these Klingons wanted from him and, on a different note, how they had gotten here in the first place.

His glance was caught by an unusual piece of technology in the middle of the room. He had never seen anything like this before. It seemed like some sort of a communication device. He kept studying it, hearing Spock work on one of the computers not far from him.

"Interesting," he heard the Vulcan mutter and hurried to his side.

"What is it, Spock?"

"Information about that man," the first officer replied. "There is not very much known about him. In fact, there is way too little. His name is Benjamin Dunn," there was a pause as Spock tried to search more about the mysterious person they had encountered. "I cannot find even the date of his death".

"Well, centuries have passed between this time and ours," the captain suggested. "Information gets lost. Maybe it's the case".

"Probably," Spock shrugged. "But there is information up until the 1990s. Attended Oxford University, and according to some of the records they have here, was one of the top students there. Then as it seems, he moved to the USA. And then he practically disappeared".

"What do you mean, disappeared?"

"The mentions of him in here are some of his acquaintances asking the others where he went. It looks like he just left them all without a clue".

Kirk took a pause, thinking hard.

"There must be a reason to disappear like that and live in secrecy," he finally mumbled.

"Most definitely".

"What was he hiding from? Or who was he hiding from? Some old enemies? Or maybe the law and local authorities?"

"Very likely".

Suddenly, something else caught the captain's eye. He made his way to the opposite side of the controls to see something yellow-ishly white. As he came closer he recognized the material as paper. The pages looked incredibly old and fragile. Motioning for Spock to join him, he gently took the object. There was something written on it. The writing was somewhat unsteady, as if it had been made by a child.

The captain and the first officer exchanged looks. Could it be a clue?...


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Here is the next chapter, I hope it doesn't disappoint… I am worried about one part of it…_

_I still don't own either of the franchises._

**Chapter 8**

Jane was sitting in a brightly lit room, her teammate still sleeping in a bed next to her. Brandt was hooked to all kinds of machines and drips, which made him seem uncharacteristically vulnerable. He looked extremely pale, due to the blood loss as it had been explained to her at some point. She didn't remember when. Way too many things had happened in the past hours and it was really hard to keep track of all of them. Her thoughts about Benji's suspicious behaviour came back and were becoming even more chaotic and intense as her anxiety to finally talk to Brandt grew. She turned her head over to the bed and watched the analyst's face expectantly. She was looking forward to clearing up the situation and yet was afraid of it. She knew Brandt wouldn't be able to talk much anyway as of yet but whatever information she could get would either destroy the horrible thoughts or confirm them. Suddenly she noticed his eyelids move slightly. Taking his hand in hers, she watched his eyes open and close several times, as he tried to get used to the light.

After a short check-up from the doctor, she moved back to her wounded teammate.

"Hey," she tried to smile but due to her mental struggle and sheer exhaustion that didn't quite work.

"Hey," Brandt breathed out, his gaze travelling around the room, as if in search of his other two colleagues.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked awkwardly, not knowing what to say and where to begin.

"I've been better," the analyst still seemed a bit disorientated, wincing in a mix of pain and deep thought.

"Do you… remember what happened?" Jane's throat felt dry and she was glad she was sitting as her knees were shaking. And so were her hands, for that matter.

Brandt winced once again and shut his eyes, trying to recollect his flashbacks.

"Knox was there," he said with his eyes still shut, his voice low and hoarse. "It was a trap. Everything was so… wrong".

There was a short pause as he took a breath, still remembering. Jane wanted to rush him but knew it was of no use.

"Benji!" Brandt's eyes suddenly opened and he nearly jumped up in his bed. Jane's heart skipped a beat and was now pounding in her ears. The analyst looked agitated which didn't go well with his present condition.

"Benji?" Jane forced despite a lump forming in her throat.

"Where is he?" Brandt demanded. When there was no immediate reply, he got even more worried. "Where is he?"

"He went to… he said he had to finish the job…"

"And you let him go?" the analyst sounded accusing now. "And nobody's there to… to keep an eye on him?"

"Ethan went with him," Jane's heartbeat was even more rapid now. "But why… why would we need to keep an eye on him?"

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Kirk sat down and placed the sheets in front of him. The paper was so old and fragile that it threatened to turn into dust as he was holding it. Carefully, he inclined his head towards it slightly and began to read.

"_Tuesday_

_I heard I should write dates here but it's my diary and I write it for myself, and I don't care about dates. Today is Tuesday and it matters because we have Math on Tuesdays and don't have it on Wednesdays. I like Math. And it's so easy, how can anyone not get it? The teachers keep saying that I'm more mature than an 8 year old girl should be. But I am almost 9! Mom says I should go play with other kids but they are just so boring. I wish older kids wanted to hang out with me!_

_I just like reading books. And solving puzzles. Dad used to say I was a genius. Not that I remember him that well but I remember him saying that._

_I'm a bit scared. I think I am beginning to forget Dad. I know that his name was Benjamin and he worked with computers but I haven't seen him for like three years. I sometimes think about him to make sure I don't forget._

_Like when we were in a park and I tripped and fell down into a bunch of flowers. They looked so nice and I liked them so I asked Dad what they were called. And he said they were violets. And then we used to go and look at them every day until they stopped blooming._

_And not long before Dad was gone we went to the same park when it was early spring. And we saw a bird's nest on a tree. And I asked where the bird was and Dad said it had flown away for winter. So we waited for the bird to come back. __And then he was gone and Mom and I moved here and I never saw that bird come back._

_I don't believe he died in that car crash. When I ask Mom about it, she begins to cry. And I don't like it when she cries… But he couldn't just die. He must come back._

_Mom says it's time to go to bed. I have to go now. We have a test tomorrow"._

"Captain?" Spock's voice made Kirk jump a bit. He was beginning to get the idea of what he was reading and wasn't quite sure how he felt about it.

"Yes, what is it, Spock?" he asked, trying to get his mind on the present day. Even though this day wasn't _his_ present at all.

"I have found an article," the Vulcan started. "According to it, Benjamin Dunn died in a traffic collision on March the 15th, 2022".

"So it's ten years from… now," Kirk made a pause before the last word. "But why did it take you so long to find out the date?"

"I don't know," Spock brought his palms together, his fingertips rubbing his chin. "But we should not forget the time factor…"

"Yeah…" the captain agreed. "I still don't understand what these Klingons wanted with him. I think we should study this diary".

Spock nodded.

"They probably used it as a source of information, too".

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Ethan was guarding the entrance, keeping an eye out just in case. Knox was dead, his operations were to start automatically. It was fairly predictable that his people would just get lost. The sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky into all imaginable shades and colours. Not that Ethan was in the mood to admire the view.

During their way Benji hadn't uttered a single word. The unreadable expression he had been wearing also made the older agent worry. It wasn't like him at all. Just like many other things lately, Ethan thought. Most notably the fact that he had decided to leave the hospital so fast.

Right as he was at that thought, his phone vibrated. He looked at the screen and his heart missed a beat when he saw Jane's number on it. Jane knew he was on the mission. She wouldn't call without a serious reason. The reason would most likely be Brandt. Taking a deep breath, the team leader pressed the answer button.

"Jane, what—"

"Is Benji with you?" her voice was steely and harsh.

"He… he's inside, entering the codes," Ethan felt increasingly confused.

"Can you see or hear him?"

"No, but we talked like two minutes ago. What…"

"Bring him here. ASAP," there was a click and the line went dead.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Here is the next chapter… I hope it answers some of your questions…_

_And nope, still don't own them._

**Chapter 9**

"What? Why?..." Ethan kept staring at his phone as if Jane would magically call him again to explain everything. A voice in the comm. in his ear shook him up.

"I've finished with the codes," Benji sounded as if he was trying to catch his breath. "I…" his voice cracked, as if he was trying really hard to keep the panic away. "I need some help here".

Ethan ran inside immediately. Reaching his destination, he saw the Brit desperately trying to hold on to a wall, seemingly unable to hold his balance. Hearing the older agent's footsteps, he visibly tensed and turned his head in Hunt's direction; however, his gaze was unfocused. He didn't calm down when Ethan came into his view, as if not recognising him.

"Are you okay?" after Jane's call Ethan had thought he would never be able to be more confused but now he was ready to rethink that possibility. Only now he noticed Benji somewhat relaxing.

"No…" the Brit shook his head violently, blinking with added force. "I…"

"Let's get out of here," the team leader threw the tech's arm over his shoulders, feeling that Benji's own legs couldn't support him well enough.

Once outside, Ethan decided to stop and take a better look at the other agent. Benji didn't seem to have any visible injuries apart from the already established minor beatings. He kept blinking forcefully, his head turned to the ground.

"Okay, to the van!" Ethan ordered, not knowing why he even spoke about their actions as Benji clearly was in no condition to reach the van by himself. The technician's reaction, however, was even more alarming as he merely turned his head to the sides. Just as the team leader was about to ask him what was going on, Benji finally lifted his head up to face him.

"Ethan, I…" he finally breathed out, narrowing his eyes as if trying to make out the older agent's features out of blur. "I can't see".

Ethan felt chills run down his spine. He had no idea what was going on but it looked like it had something to do with Jane's call. Without saying anything and wasting even more time he led Benji to the van, trying to prevent him from tripping or walking into something.

Once inside, he started the engine, looking over at the technician who seemed to be getting weaker.

"Do you have any idea what is wrong with you?" the team leader asked, deciding it would be also good to keep Benji from passing out.

"Yeah…" was the murmured reply. "I mean, not really…" it sounded like he was trying to fight off the sleep and losing the battle miserably.

"What is it?" Ethan pushed when there was no continuation to the story. There was no reply. Turning his head, he confirmed his suspicion: Benji was unconscious.

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"How is he?" Jane asked as soon as Ethan entered Brandt's room. The analyst seemed to be asleep and it visibly took a considerable effort for her to keep her voice quiet.

"Unconscious," the team leader replied. "They are running some tests now. But he'll have to be awake for some of the other examinations".

Jane nodded.

"So he just passed out?"

"No… He seemed… he got weak. And he said… it looked like he went blind," Ethan replied before realising that he didn't quite understand why Jane who seemed to know more than him was the one asking questions. "But I thought you knew something about it…"

Jane was now looking down after letting out a short gasp upon hearing the team leader's reply.

"I don't really…" she swallowed. "I don't really know that much. Brandt woke up not long after you had left. He told me Benji was in danger. He looked so worried that he made me call you immediately. And when I did he just relaxed and went back to sleep".

Ethan shut his eyes tightly, trying and failing to make sense out of everything that had been happening in the past twenty-four hours.

"Ethan?" the groggy voice from the bed made both agents jump. Brandt still looked weak and pale but, as Jane noted, his eyes were much clearer now than the previous time he had woken up. "Where is Benji?"

"He's here, too," Jane replied. "They are running tests".

"How did you know something was wrong with him?" Ethan asked, not letting the injured man ask any more questions.

Brandt closed his eyes, trying to recall the events in the needed order.

_He was standing by, waiting for Benji to finish his work. At one point he heard Benji let out a cough and some annoyed muttering._

"_You alright there?" the analyst whispered into his comm., still looking around attentively._

"_Yeah," Benji replied. "It's just one of those annoying aroma sticks, I guess… Turning on the computer"._

_Brandt nodded despite his colleague obviously couldn't see him. For a few minutes there was silence after which all hell broke loose._

_Brandt heard a voice in his comm. A voice that didn't belong to any of his teammates. It was the moment he knew something was wrong. Benji was in trouble. He started to run from where he was standing, only to see Knox's men on his way. In situations like this he chose to trust his instincts. Taking some of them with bullets and finishing off the rest in hand-to-hand, he tried to get inside as soon as possible._

"I still don't know how I did it," he admitted, as Jane and Ethan were listening with their eyes wide open. "It's a bit of a blur now…"

_As he ran inside, he saw a chilling picture: Knox was there. And he was pointing his gun right at Benji's face. It was weird: when the teams had looked through Knox's photos, he hadn't resembled a character from a cheesy sci-fi show as much as he did now. Brandt was about to draw his weapon but wasn't fast enough. There was a bang and he fell down, excruciating agony radiating from his side, his gun flying to the opposite wall. Unable to do anything, he just watched helplessly._

"_Now we can talk without anyone interrupting," Knox said casually. Brandt noticed Benji's features change from shock to fury. Brandt knew that look. The previous person that look had been directed at hadn't lived long enough to even see it. The analyst also noticed that Knox was standing a bit too close to the Brit. Which wasn't very safe. As if in confirmation to his thoughts he saw Benji snatch the gun with a smooth movement. In a mere second the roles were reversed, as Knox was now the one facing the gun barrel. Brandt shut his eyes, anticipating another gunshot noise but a voice came in before the technician decided to pull the trigger._

"_I think you have noticed something in that drawer over there," Knox nodded his head towards one of the drawers and Benji's expression changed a bit. "What you breathed in there was a very special gas. A very poisonous one. It makes some systems of your body just give up. One by one. Until it strikes some vitally important ones… You will soon feel its effects… Unless you put the weapon down and go with me. I promise you, Mr. Dunn," both of the agents felt their stomachs drop upon hearing him calling the name, "there is no other way for you to save yourself"._

"_Who is your source of information?" the tech asked instead. _That's right, Benji, if there is a leak in IMF we have to know about it._ Brandt let out a pained growl as it was getting harder to hold on to consciousness. Benji gave him a quick look, full of concern and obvious inner struggle._

_Knox just laughed._

"_Trust me, it is beyond your understanding," he smirked. "You can kill me now and die slowly very soon… Or you can do the smart thing and go with me"._

_Benji threw one more look at Brandt and turned to Knox. He looked like he was about to speak but instead he just pulled the trigger. He didn't watch the body falling down, blood oozing from the gunshot wound in the head, and just ran straight to the analyst._

"_Come on," he muttered, helping Brandt to his unsteady feet. "Gotta get out of here"._

"_What— ahh! What about this gas?" the analyst croaked, trying not to pass out from sheer pain._

"_We'll take care of it after the mission," Benji answered dismissively._

"_But what if…" Brandt didn't finish, having to gasp for air._

"_Look, I'm fine, okay?" the Brit blurted out. "It could have been a lie to begin with… Shit!"_

_Brandt's vision was getting blurry but he still made out some goons following them. Benji had to take sharp turns and movements to dodge their attacks, which made his friend yell out in pain from time to time._

"_Benji, you really should…"_

"_Listen, will you shut up already!" at that same moment Brandt saw Ethan and Jane sprinting their way. Help was there._

"So you think it was that gas?" Ethan asked after a few silent seconds as the information sunk in. Too exhausted to talk, Brandt just nodded. Now all they could do was wait for updates on Benji's condition.

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"Mr. Scott, are you alright?" Uhura asked cautiously, as the Chief Engineer covered his face with his hands, rubbing it with force.

"Aye," he replied drowsily. "Just a wee bit tired".


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint…_

_Still don't own anything._

**Chapter 10**

"Mr Hunt?" a doctor asked, making his way into the room. After the agent's nod, he continued, now with more certainty in his voice. "You asked to get updates on the condition of Mr Benjamin Dunn…" Ethan nodded again, unable to utter a word. Jane and Brandt both tensed where they were. The doctor was used to having heavy glances on him but still seemed to feel slightly uncomfortable. He sighed tiredly.

"Truth be told, we have never seen anything like that before. We are running all possible tests but they all turn negative. It looks like he has been exposed to some unknown toxin but we have been unable to detect yet".

"How is he?" Ethan finally croaked, surprised at how quiet his voice sounded. The doctor sighed again.

"At the moment he is conscious. You can visit him if you want. However, he has completely lost his sight and is experiencing general weakness".

There was a brief silent moment during which Ethan shut his eyes tightly and Jane started to blink rapidly, trying to force back the tears which were threatening to fall. Brandt just looked at the ceiling. It was suddenly too hard for him to comprehend the reality. He almost missed the movement as his colleagues stood up from their chairs, looking at him slightly apologetically.

"Can you show us the way to his room, please?" Jane asked the doctor after receiving an understanding nod from the analyst.

Soon it was quiet. Brandt let out a sigh and shut his eyes tightly. He was exhausted and yet one thought didn't let him fall asleep. Whatever that gas was, Knox seemed to know it. Knox was Benji's hope to pull through this. Granted, there was no guarantee that Knox would have given him the cure anyway but there was a possibility. Benji could have figured something out. If only he had gone with Knox instead of killing him… Brandt remembered the glance the technician had thrown at him during their encounter with Knox. There was no way that Benji could have left an injured Brandt to most likely die. Even to save his own life. _I wish I were faster…_ _I should have disabled Knox the moment I saw him. And then we would have gotten the cure from him…_

All those thoughts never stopped, even as the analyst felt the covers of sleep fall on him.

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Kirk felt increasingly confused as he kept reading the diary. It looked like just separate pages though. It looked like someone had chosen only certain parts of it. The ones where the kid was talking about her father. Spock seemed to be right. It was most likely being used as a source of information.

"_Friday_

_Katy told me her parents are splitting up. She says she's happy about it. She never loved her Dad and is glad he's finally leaving. She then asked me where my Dad was. I had to tell her he's dead. That's what they keep telling me. That he died more than three years ago. And that's just not true. I don't believe it"._

Kirk sighed. Sometimes you know everything is lost but have this crazy dream that it will turn better one day… He had sometimes secretly felt like that about his father even though he didn't even know him. The kid was clearly in denial.

"_The last time I saw him was the day before he 'died'. It was a strange evening. Someone knocked on our door and Dad opened it. It was some man and it looked like Dad knew him. He asked him what he was doing there and then sent me upstairs. I like listening to the grown ups talk. Mum used to say I was spying on people. Dad didn't like that word. I tried to listen to them and Mum talking but they were too quiet. Dad only said things like "How did they find us?" and "What do they want?" more loudly. And then Mum came up to me and she looked like she was crying. She told me to go to bed._

_I tried to sleep but couldn't. Something was happening and they wouldn't tell me what. I lay in bed in my room and then the door opened. I pretended to be asleep. Somebody came up and sat down on my bed. I thought they would go away if I pretended to be asleep but they just sat there. I opened my eyes and saw that it was Dad. He looked so sad. I had never seen him so sad before. When he saw that I was awake, he smiled but not like he had always smiled. Even the smile looked sad. He said he had to leave. I asked him when he would come back. He said he didn't know. He told me to always listen to Mum and be good. Then he hugged me. I think he began to cry. I had never seen him cry. Dad never cried._

_And then he left. Next morning Mum said we were going to move. She looked like she hadn't slept that night. That evening Mum came up to me to tell me Dad was gone. She told me about the car crash._

_Maybe he did die after all? Why else would he leave us for over three years? He wouldn't abandon us, he loved us. But I don't want him to be dead. Maybe one day he will just walk in and everything will be okay. It would be such a great Birthday surprise. I just can't tell Mum about this"._

Kirk's confusion only grew. The story looked suspicious even to an "almost 9 year old" kid. To him, it looked slightly off, too.

"Who is this guy?..." he found himself exclaiming, feeling completely lost.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! Here's a new chapter, hope you enjoy!_

_I still don't own them._

**Chapter 11**

Jane had no idea what to expect as she walked along the corridor. She knew she had every right to have felt suspicious about Benji's behaviour but now when she knew the truth she felt slightly guilty about it. The walk seemed to last forever, as if to give her enough time to think about everything. Just as she was about to break the silence with some question or remark or anything, the three of them stopped in front of a door. The doctor gave the agents a nod before opening it.

Benji lay in bed, almost as pale as the sheets. He frowned a bit at the sound of the door opening and lifted his head up a slightest bit. His glance was turned right ahead of him, past everyone in the room. He just looked completely broken. His colleagues had never seen him so lost before and now it was a really unsettling sight.

"Hey, Benji," Jane forced, trying to sound calm, as if she knew that everything was going to be fine. As if she wasn't being consumed by fear and pain at seeing one of her closest friends like that.

"Jane?" it wasn't even a whisper. It sounded more like a breath.

"And Ethan," the team leader finally spoke. Benji frowned again and let his head rest on the pillow.

"How's Brandt?" he tried to put more effort into his voice this time which did make him sound a bit louder.

"He's fine," Ethan replied firmly. "He's been awake after the surgery and now he is resting".

The ex-technician nodded. The other two agents knew they had to say something but had no idea where to start. They didn't want to point out the obvious or ask Benji how he was feeling – they could see the answer right in front of them.

"Brandt told us what happened," Jane found the words at last. Benji nodded once more but suddenly lifted his head again, as if having remembered something.

"It wasn't the real Knox," he tried to speak quickly but it only made him stumble on his own words. "Before I went to the safe house… I saw in the news…" he had to stop to catch his breath. After a few painful seconds he continued more calmly. "Knox was found dead in his attic. Somebody cut his throat. That guy we met… I shot him in the head. I have no idea who he was," he let his head flop on the pillow, feeling too exhausted to say anything.

Ethan's eyes widened as he was trying to process the information. Things were only getting crazier and more complicated. He decided to ask about something slightly different.

"That gas that you were exposed to…" he started. "Do you have any idea what it was?" Ethan knew the doctors were unable to figure this out but he wouldn't ignore the knowledge Benji had. However, the Englishman shook his head, so weakly that his friends barely noticed the motion at all.

"We need to find out," Ethan was now speaking to Jane whose gaze lightened up at those words. At last they had something to do. There was some hope to help. "Whatever it was, if it stayed at the villa, it might still be there".

"Unless the police took as evidence," Jane reasoned.

"Let's hope they didn't. We'll go back to the safe house and take some equipment. We can't risk anything now. Once we know what caused this to happen, we might be able to help".

Jane nodded.

"You'll be alright, Benji," she said soothingly. But the Brit didn't seem to acknowledge her words, lying still with his eyes closed. "Benji?" she called, worry growing inside her. "Benji!"

The doctor rushed in and looked at the various pieces of equipment the tech was attached to.

"It looks like he passed out from exhaustion," he proclaimed thoughtfully. "He might wake up in some time. Though I can't be sure…"

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Kirk was reading the papers almost furiously. Sure, reading about a little girl looking at some violets and remembering her Daddy was interesting and exciting but it was getting him nowhere.

"What does this have to do with anything?" he asked, exasperated. "They wanted to kill a guy so they read the diary of his daughter who would have never been born had they succeeded! What is the point?"

"It seems that they were just looking for as much information as they could get," Spock reasoned. "It doesn't mean this diary was in any way helpful".

Kirk let out an annoyed sigh. He turned back to the papers, feeling his annoyance only grow. A sound from his communicator, however, distracted him.

"Kirk here," he answered, his gaze still glued to the writing, even though he wasn't reading any more.

"Jim," the voice on the other side sounded worried.

"Bones?" the captain saw Spock's eyebrow rise as the Vulcan heard the word. Why would McCoy call them? "What is it?"

"It's Scotty," the doctor seemed slightly hesitant. "He's getting exhausted for no apparent reason. I can't detect what's wrong with him, he just gets… weaker".

"How bad is it?" Kirk demanded.

"I don't know. I'm giving him medication to restore some of the energy but I don't know how long it will last".

"Got it. Stand by and wait for my further instructions. Kirk out".

He tuned his head towards Spock.

"Any suggestions?" he asked. His mind was absolutely empty.

"I think we should try to get to our time as soon as possible. Mr Scott may need some more serious help. But before that we must figure out why we got here in the first place. In the current time we have a better opportunity to do research on him because he is still alive. I suggest that we delay the reading and try to look in other places".

Kirk nodded.

"Starting with the place where this Dunn guy was attacked," he continued the first officer's thought.

"Precisely," Spock nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Thanks for still reading and reviewing my story! Here's a new chapter, hope you like it._

_I don't own them._

**Chapter 12**

Jane and Ethan were moving in complete silence, looking around them cautiously with every heartbeat. Jane unlocked the door and opened it quietly. As soon as both of them entered the apartment, they tensed. They weren't alone.

Taking out their weapons, they moved on, even more carefully than before. They could hear their hearts pounding in their ears as they were closing in to the source of the noise. Finally, they burst into the room, aiming their guns at whoever was there… only to find that the two men standing in the room were also aiming at them with… something. They couldn't tell what it was but it seemed like some kind of weapon. The unknown made them worry even more. One of them looked like a hipster. A hipster with a weapon was a ridiculous sight. Obviously some disguise. Even more alarming.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Jane asked before anyone could even open their mouth.

"Look…" one of the men started, seemingly slightly lost. "We can explain…"

"You'd better explain it," Jane's voice was cold as ice.

"You see, there was a fight here. A man has been attacked by four people…"

"Wait. What man? What people?" Ethan interrupted harshly.

"That's what we are trying to find out".

"Are you from the police?" that was unlikely but Jane asked anyway.

"No…" the hipster replied.

"We are… I am a private investigator," the first man rushed in. "This guy over here," he pointed at the hipster, "witnessed the attack so we came back to look around".

Jane and Ethan lowered their guns a bit.

"What attack?" Ethan asked again. "What did they look like?"

"Well," the hipster started recounting the events. "I only saw one… _guy_… entering this house. He was about your height, blond, blue eyes. And then some people went in and there was a fight…"

"Obviously, my friend here couldn't come in and went to call me, knowing that I can figure it all out," the 'investigator' concluded.

The agents exchanged glances at the description. Could it be Benji? But why hadn't he told them about the attack? This 'investigator' guy was a known type. A pompous self-obsessed idiot. But, on the other hand, it was good that the police wasn't involved. They couldn't break their cover under any circumstances.

"Look, we are on the same side here," the man softened his voice and stepped closer, outreaching his arm to put his hand on Jane's shoulder. The glare she gave him, however, made him stop mid-motion.

"Whatever your intentions are," Ethan spoke up, "you have no right to be here. So you better get out of here and forget the way to this place".

Seeing the hardened expressions on the agents' faces, the two men had nothing left to do but retreat.

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"So what do you think of that?" Kirk asked as he and his first officer went outside.

"I think there has been some level of misunderstanding, Captain," Spock replied thoughtfully.

Kirk nodded.

"And I also think these two might know who that Benjamin Dunn is," he added. "But how can we ask them? They are armed and possibly dangerous".

"Agreed," the Vulcan nodded. They stopped near a car. "Captain, I think this is their means of transportation. We can put a tracking device on it and they may bring us to where he is".

"Good thinking, Spock".

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Luckily for the agents, the villa was now deserted. The police were gone, and only the signed stripes were informing everyone who would pass by that it was a crime scene. Carefully unlocking the door and trying not to touch anything, they went in and headed to the living room, putting respirators on as they walked. That's where Benji had supposedly been. They started searching through the shelves and drawers when suddenly the sound of footsteps made them freeze.

"You again?" Ethan growled as the two men from earlier came into view.

"Look, let's start from the beginning," the 'investigator' said, trying to stay calm despite being held at a gunpoint. "My name is James Kirk," he smiled at Jane who remained absolutely stone faced. Kirk's features dropped slightly at that. "I am really trying to help. I know someone was trying to murder that blond man and I need to know why".

"You'd better not stick your nose into other people's business, _Mr Kirk_," Jane replied coldly.

"For your own good," Ethan almost hissed, "get out of here. This is the last warning. And you'd better erase this day from your memory. That would be safer for you".

Suddenly, the older agent's phone rang. Annoyed, he took it out and looked at the screen. His expression changed as soon as he saw the doctor's number. Jane noticed her colleague's reaction and leaned in closer so that she could hear the conversation, forgetting even about the intruders.

"Mr Hunt?" the doctor sounded slightly sheepish.

"Yes, what is it, doctor?" Ethan couldn't stop his worry, even though he didn't show any of it.

"I was asked to inform you about the updates on your friends' condition… There are some… complications".

"What complications? Which one of my friends is having them?" Ethan was almost 100% sure that he knew the answer. Benji seemed at a bigger risk. The actual reply, however, made him widen his eyes.

"Both".

After he hung up, both agents remembered where they were and looked around for the two weird men. However, they were not there anymore.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Thank you for your amazing reviews! This update is quite fast because I was kind of impatient… Hope you enjoy!_

_I don't own them…_

**Chapter 13**

Brandt had no idea how long he had been lying in bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. He only knew that now he felt more awake than at any point of the time he had spent there. He wondered how Benji was. At the thought he was hit with all the flashbacks and the usual musings connected to them. He knew it wasn't actually his fault but… he was just used to somehow find a way in which it was really his fault. Back in his childhood he had been taught not to blame anything on other people so he got used to always blaming himself. The guilt, worry and the feeling of being lost in time all added up together in one mix which turned into panic. He sighed and pressed a call button.

"Can I see a friend of mine? He is a patient here, too," he said when a young nurse came in. She only stared at him incredulously.

"Please," Brandt's voice cracked a bit and his vision was getting blurry with tears. "Just get me a wheelchair or anything. I need to talk to him. Please".

The nurse nodded weakly.

"I'll see what can be done".

About half an hour later a doctor appeared in Brandt's room, informing him that Mr Dunn was asleep at the moment but Brandt could visit him if he wanted. About ten more minutes later the former analyst was in a wheelchair on his way to Benji's room, feeling afraid of what he might see there and yet looking forward to it.

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Benji couldn't tell if he was awake or still asleep. Everything was dark. Probably he was awake because he tended to see dreams while sleeping. And his reality was just this black darkness nowadays. He felt a lump in his throat. He had to adjust to what he had left. Sharpen his remaining senses. He began to listen to what was happening. But everything around him was quiet. Unusually, unnaturally quiet. No distant noises of people walking down the corridors, opening doors and chatting, no sound of equipment, nothing. No sound at all. For a moment Benji wondered if he had died. Maybe that's what death was like. Just heaviness of the limbs and complete emptiness around him. But then he realised he felt something. Something around his wrist which seemed to be tightening slightly. It felt like someone was holding him by the wrist. So he was still alive. And apparently, had even fewer senses left.

He had no idea who the person holding his arm was but suddenly he felt the urge to talk. He knew he was losing his battle but some things needed to be said. And he started to speak, bewildered at how he couldn't hear his own voice and trying to keep it at some level he thought was suitable.

Brandt was sitting next to his friend and looking at his face. He awkwardly grasped Benji's wrist. Better than nothing. Suddenly he saw Benji's eyes open, completely glazed over. His glance was turned ahead of him but he didn't seem to see anything. Brandt remembered vaguely hearing that his friend had gone blind. He had to swallow a lump in his throat to prevent himself from sobbing.

"Hey Benji," he said in a shaky voice. There was no reaction. "Benji?" he repeated louder, tightening his grasp on the techie's wrist. Still nothing.

Benji moved his arm a bit and only then seemed to acknowledge Brandt's presence.

"I… I don't know who it is…" the sound of Benji's voice, breathy, shaky and constantly interrupted with gasps, made the former analyst cringe. And what did he mean by those words? Didn't he recognise Brandt's voice?... "Just tell Brandt… tell him not to… not to blame himself. It wasn't his… his fault. I made the choice and I don't regret it. And Jane… and Ethan…" he tried to say something but the gasps were getting increasingly forced and heavy.

Suddenly, Benji's head hit the pillow and there was no sound from him any more. Brandt could feel tears beginning to escape his eyes as he shook his friend's arm, repeating his name. He couldn't hear or see whether he was breathing, which worried him even more. A few seconds later various pieces of equipment started beeping alarmingly and people came bursting into the room. Brandt felt being wheeled away but couldn't tear his gaze from Benji's motionless figure. When his wheelchair was being turned to the door, he had to twist to look back at the Brit, his panic adding force to his movements. And he instantly regretted it, feeling horrendous pain in his side. He looked down to see a huge and growing red spot on his hospital pyjamas. Now there were people around him, too, but everything became a blur very soon and he passed out.

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Just as the man and the woman got distracted talking on the phone, Kirk heard the noise from his communicator. He and Spock backed away as quietly as they could before replying.

"Jim," McCoy was even more agitated than before. "Scotty's getting worse. He won't stay conscious for long. He wants to talk to you. You've got to get here fast".

"Okay," Kirk sighed after a short consideration. "Beam us up".

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Without wasting time Kirk and Spock both rushed to the sickbay.

Scotty was extremely pale and seemed to barely have the strength to move his gaze to look at the other two officers.

"Captain," he whispered, "I've been told… about a device you saw at the Klingon ship. Let Mr Spock inspect it closely. I've heard about panels like that, they are used to communicate with…"

"Captain!" the door slid open once again, and Chekov ran in, carrying the familiar sheets of paper that had been transported aboard the Enterprise before the second expedition. "Ze writing! It is fading!"

Kirk took the papers from the ensign's hands to see the ink was really becoming paler.

"Why would that happen…" he muttered.

"What were the conditions in which these papers were kept, ensign?" Spock asked. "Were they different from the Klingon ship?"

"No, Sir".

The First Officer raised his eyebrow. Scotty had been trying to see what was written on those papers during the entire scene, narrowing his eyes in his efforts and trying but failing to lift his head up.

"Can I have a look?" he finally asked. As soon as Kirk brought the sheets closer to the engineer's face, his eyes widened. "Good heavens…" he muttered. Everything was spinning around him and he knew he was about to lose consciousness so he decided to speak fast. "It looks like parts of a diary I saw at my Granny's when I was little. She said it was a family relic. It had a… a nice cover… and then it disappeared…" the last words were murmured through a thick cloud of sleep.

As McCoy rushed to check on Scotty and hook him up to more machines than before, Kirk looked at his first officer.

"A _family relic_?" he asked, unable to hide the mix of various emotions he was experiencing.

"Fascinating," was the only thing Spock could utter, nodding his head pensively.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Thank you for all the amazing reviews! This chapter is kind of sad… Don't kill me for it!_

_I don't own them…_

**Chapter 14**

The remaining time spent searching and investigating was short and rushed as both Jane and Ethan had their minds preoccupied with completely different matters. However, that didn't mean they weren't thorough enough. They understood perfectly well that they had a chance to help Benji and they wouldn't willingly lose it, no matter how small that chance was. But, despite the desperate attempts to find something… anything that would remotely look unusual or suspicious, there was nothing of that sort. Silently nodding at each other, the pair of them headed straight to the hospital, not knowing what was waiting for them there.

"Mr Hunt, Ms Carter," the doctor greeted then in the foyer.

"We came here right after getting your call," Ethan replied. "What happened?"

"Well, I'm afraid Mr Brandt is now recovering after his surgery…" the doctor started a rushed explanation.

"Wait, another surgery?" Jane interrupted, her heart pounding in her chest wildly.

"He pulled his stitches, causing himself more damage," the doctor sighed. "He had insisted on seeing Mr Dunn and it… upset him. He will be fine though".

"Upset him?" Ethan asked, his stomach turning inside out. He knew Benji was in bad state and it would no doubt have been quite upsetting for Brandt to see but what could have made him pull his stitches? In his peripheral view he saw Jane with the same expression in her face as he knew he had.

The doctor sighed, his expression becoming even heavier.

"As I have already told you, Mr Dunn's condition has also worsened. In addition to his blindness, he has lost his hearing and cannot breathe on his own at the moment. We have him on the machines".

"Have you figured out what is actually wrong with him? Can it be cured?" Jane's voice was low, shaking and almost childishly vulnerable. So… not Jane.

"The toxin we have found in Mr Dunn's system is an entirely new formula. We cannot even figure out what it is. At the speed the disease is progressing, however… I am afraid your friend doesn't have much time left. I am very sorry".

Jane's face crumpled upon hearing this. Ethan had to blink forcefully to take in the news.

"Can we see him?" he asked, trying not to let the lump in his throat render him speechless.

"Yes, yes, you can," the doctor replied before turning to show them the way.

The walk along the hospital corridors was a somewhat surreal experience for the agents. It seemed like a dream. It just couldn't be happening in the real life. The monotonous grey walls they passed dulled all emotions, bringing only emptiness instead. And under these circumstances, the emptiness was not unwelcomed.

They suddenly stopped, and while the doctor was having a quiet talk with a nurse, Jane and Ethan finally recognised the door in front of them as the door to Benji's room. Not that it was any different from other doors. Even though they both had already been in the room, it still didn't make the door any more recognisable. In this case it was more of a logical assumption than some sort of recognition.

"Mr Dunn is awake," the doctor informed them after finishing his conversation with the nurse. "Judging by his state, it is most likely the last time he is conscious".

He opened the door, letting the visitors in.

"I am very sorry," he added again.

Both of the agents felt their eyes well up as soon as they stepped in. Benji looked even paler than before if that was even possible. Half of his face was hidden under an oxygen mask, his unseeing blue eyes looking somewhere past the hospital walls. Jane's legs were about to give out as she walked up to the bed. She gently laid her hand on Benji's shoulder. Only then there was some sort of reaction as the technician furrowed his brow in a somewhat confused expression.

"How do we let him know it's us?" Jane already had tears ready to escape her eyes as she couldn't look away from the Brit's face.

Ethan also stepped closer and swallowed. Seeing Benji like this was almost physically painful. The worst thing about it was that he couldn't do anything to help. He suddenly remembered the events that had taken place several years earlier. Was it six or seven years? He couldn't remember. He only remembered Benji's voice in his phone, his only hope, guiding him through the crowded streets of Shanghai on a race against the clock, his captors and potentially the police as he had been wanted by Interpol. Leading him to Julia. To save both her and himself. Ethan still felt like he owed Benji, after all those years. The Brit had put a lot at risk when he had agreed to help him… He hadn't even had to do it. He had been just a technician in the lab. And yet he had done it, casually cracking a line about possibly sharing a jail cell together. And now he was dying, not even knowing that Julia, who he had helped to save, was still alive, and Ethan felt like he still had an unpaid dept on his conscious.

Shaking himself, the team leader sighed. He knew that Benji didn't think he had done anything exceptional, apart from helping a friend. And he would be the first one to call Ethan's musings ridiculous.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He walked up to the bed and laid his hand on Benji's arm. He then started rhythmically tapping his finger on it.

"Morse code?" Jane asked in realisation, watching Ethan tap out his name, after which the technician nodded barely visibly, his features softening slightly. Jane then did the same with her name and saw a second, even weaker nod. She took Benji's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, and sobbed when she felt him return the gesture.

"So we just sit here?" she asked the older agent. Ethan nodded.

"At least he won't be dying alone," he spoke at last, forcing the words out with an effort. That was when Jane finally broke down.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Here's one more chapter. Please don't kill me with cricket or baseball bats or chase me around the garden with a bit of wood…_

_I don't own them._

**Chapter 15**

"So let's recap the situation," Kirk looked around him at the other officers. "Mr Scott is mysteriously sick after an attempt at his ancestor's life. The writing in said ancestor's daughter's diary is fading. What can we conclude?"

"That the ancestor's life is still in danger," Spock replied matter-of-factly. Uhura laid her head to rest it in her hands. The Vulcan looked at her with something that for a split second looked like concern.

"Precisely," the captain replied, not noticing the motion. "So what…"

He got cut off when the door opened and McCoy walked in, looking more alarmed than ever.

"Some of the people on the ship are beginning to have the same symptoms as Scotty," he blurted out hurriedly.

"I believe Lieutenant Uhura is also experiencing them, Doctor," Spock sounded completely calm but some of the muscles on his face were trembling.

"So…" Kirk mused carefully after Bones had helped Uhura up and led her to the sickbay. "If there is no Scotty, nobody beamed me aboard the Enterprise and we haven't defeated Nero… Why are only _some_ of us having these symptoms? Wouldn't we all be dead? Although I might still be on Delta-Vega…"

"We cannot know what would actually happen, captain," Spock said thoughtfully. "We don't know who all the other generations of Mr Scott's ancestors were and what they did. Some of us might not have been born. Some scientific discoveries might not have been made. Not only the transwarp beaming which was discovered by Mr Scott himself but also anything that was discovered in the past 250 years".

"Yeah, right," Kirk rubbed his eyes, waving his hand dismissively. "The butterfly effect…"

"Precisely," Spock nodded. "Everything is connected. We don't know how much our mere presence here has already influenced the course of history".

Kirk remembered the older Spock returning back in time to meet him. He would have spoken up about his first officer having some experience with time travel but he felt like this wasn't the time. He knew it was a tricky question…

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The agents didn't know how long it had been. The silence of the room was strangely soothing, and if not for the horror of the events that were unfolding, it could have been the real moment of calm. Jane felt the adrenaline wear off slowly, getting replaced by dull grief and fatigue. She tried to blink the sleep away, her vision already blurry with tears. Every few seconds she would squeeze Benji's hand and her heart would leap every time he squeezed back. He was still there. He was still with them. Maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to stay, to hold on… to come back. It was like a little game: each of them was showing the other that they were still there and hadn't left anywhere.

She looked across at Ethan who was sitting near the other side of the bed, his hands supporting his face. He looked calm, staring into space. She could only imagine what was going on in his mind right now. Most people would have their minds empty while in such trance-like states. But Ethan Hunt was not most people. She knew he had known Benji for longer than she and Brandt combined. She knew Benji had done him a huge favour in the past. And she also knew that Ethan Hunt hated to feel helpless, always clinging to the slightest shadow of hope, no matter how insane it would seem. Now, however, there really was nothing any of them could do. It must have been driving him insane.

She turned her gaze back to the technician, who, she noticed with a hint of panic, had closed his eyes. However, the squeeze he gave her hand made her sigh in huge relief. She wondered what must be going through his mind. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he felt. Was he still hoping for a recovery? Was he afraid of what was waiting for him? _At least he would know we're with him_, she thought bitterly.

"Hey," Ethan's voice made her snap. She bolted upright in her chair, realising she had dozed off.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, blinking drowsily. Ethan shrugged. He hadn't noticed that moment, being too deep in his thoughts. Jane looked at Benji's unmoving figure on the bed and squeezed his hand once again. There was no response.

"Benji?" she called out despite knowing that he wouldn't hear her even if he had been conscious. She could already feel her heart break into pieces as she was beginning to realise what was happening. Something next to her beeped, and almost immediately the door opened and the doctor entered.

"Mr Dunn has slipped into a coma," he proclaimed after an examination. Both visitors looked down. "We need to run some additional tests. His case has been very unusual, and maybe we can find something new… You will be able to see him soon but for now I am afraid you will have to leave".

The agents stood up from their seats silently and turned towards the door.

"You can visit your other friend if you want," the doctor suggested softly. "He is already awake after his surgery but we are going to put him to sleep again soon because he needs to rest without hurting himself".

It took them a colossal effort to tear their gazes from their unconscious friend and leave the room. Ethan threw a last glance at the tech as the door was closing. Under different circumstances dealing with this might have been easier. If only they had something else to wrap their minds around, something to do. A mission to accomplish, a villain to take down, even some sort of revenge plan to carry out. But there was nothing left but sitting there and watch one of their friends die while the other was recovering from a serious injury.

"How's it going?" Brandt's voice was startlingly loud. Ethan didn't even remember how they had gotten there. Looking over at Jane, he assumed she was having similar feelings.

"We've been better," she admitted with a humourless smile.

"Did you find anything? To help…"

"No," Ethan cut the analyst off. "There was nothing there".

Brandt nodded.

"How is he?" he asked after a pause.

"He's a fighter," Ethan hurried to answer, not letting Jane say anything. "We gotta give him some credit. He can pull through".

"Yeah ," Will laughed bitterly. He knew Ethan was only trying to reassure him but didn't call him on it. He wanted to believe it. Besides, he felt the drug start to kick in as everything was getting blurry and all the noises were becoming quieter.

Suddenly the door opened and a young nurse stumbled in, looking shaken and even slightly scared. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her and she cringed under the pressure of those stares.

"What is it?" Ethan asked, somehow managing to keep his voice even.

"I don't know how to say this…" the nurse looked down. "Mr Dunn is… is gone".

That was when Brandt's drug finally got over him, mercifully taking him away from this reality, and he got wrapped in a comforting blanket of sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Thank you for not killing me after the previous chapter! I hope this one will make up for it…_

_I still don't own them…_

**Chapter 16**

"What?" Jane already felt like her legs had gone wobbly. Luckily, Ethan sensed the moment and supported her by the elbow. After all the recent events it was an expected thing to happen. And she was supposed to be glad that Benji wasn't suffering anymore… but she couldn't. Somewhere deep in her heart there had been an insane hope that somehow it would get back to normal… and now this hope was destroyed mercilessly. She looked up at Ethan, remembering his words in Benji's room. It so happened that their friend _had_ died alone, no matter how they had tried to prevent it.

Ethan blinked forcefully, trying to not let tears escape his eyes. He was the team leader. He had to stay strong. In the corner of his eye he could see that Brandt had passed out. At least the analyst didn't have to deal with this loss just now.

"I… I don't know," the nurse finally spoke again. "He just… disappeared".

"What?" now it was Ethan's turn to ask. Both he and Jane looked up with their eyes wide. Their expressions would have been funny if not for the circumstances. "What do you mean, disappeared?"

"Well, we were running some tests and then brought him back to his room, and then they were about to send me here to tell you that you could see him again but then the doctor went in for the last check up and he wasn't there!" the poor girl blurted all that up at the top speed, shrinking under the two intense glares.

Ethan shut his eyes, running through all possible scenarios in his mind. Obviously, Benji couldn't have left by himself. That must mean he had been abducted. But who would need to abduct him? He had been in no state for interrogations, talking or doing anything at all. Did someone want to kill him? Possibly. But he had been dying anyway. He only had a few hours left to live if the doctors were to be believed. But there were no other options. And who would kidnap an already dying person in order to kill them? Some psycho who wanted to make sure said person had really died. Possibly some horrible and painful death. Ethan had to swallow a lump in his throat and clench his hands into fists. Benji had had enough. He didn't want to even think about him having to suffer even more. His experience and sheer logic, however, told him otherwise. And even though Benji was in a coma anyway and wouldn't feel any pain... it still hurt just to think about it.

"Have you seen anyone enter his room?" he probably sounded harsher than he had intended but he didn't really care.

"No," they could barely hear the nurse's voice. "Nobody came in or out, I could swear, sir!"

Ethan let out an exasperated groan. Things were about to get even worse. He felt Jane clutching his arm. He knew she was just as confused as he was.

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It didn't take long for Kirk and Spock to figure out what to do. They knew that their only chance to find Benjamin Dunn was the people they had met in that house. They were most likely to at least know him, even though it wasn't clear whether they were his friends or enemies.

"Mr Sulu," Kirk blurted out, "can you locate our tracking device we placed on those people's automobile?"

After a few seconds of waiting, during which nobody dared to produce a sound, there finally was a reply.

"Yes, sir," Sulu proclaimed triumphantly. He went on scanning for a few more painful moments until adding: "The nearest building is a hospital…"

Kirk nodded.

"Makes sense," he said. His hopes for finding Dunn were rising. If he really was in some troubled condition which was suggested by the recent events, it was logical for him to be in a hospital. Kirk mentally rewarded himself for thinking like Spock but decided to never mention it out loud. "Prepare the transporter room to beam us down there".

"Captain," Spock interrupted, making Jim stop on his way out. "Will it be wise for us to go? These people have seen us and they don't seem to trust us. They are already suspicious and if they see us again…"

"Yeah, I get it, the whole mission will be compromised," Kirk sighed. "What is your suggestion?"

"I think Dr McCoy will be the best option. He will be able to navigate around the hospital better than any of us".

Kirk didn't take long to consider this thought. He felt there wasn't much time to think anyway.

"Bridge to sickbay," he spoke into the intercom.

"Sickbay here," McCoy's voice sounded exhausted. It was understandable. Kirk only hoped it really was just the fatigue.

"Bones, take the fitting clothes and go to the transporter room. We need you to beam down and locate Dunn in the hospital".

"Are you _insane_?" McCoy barked. "People are dying here! A lot of people! And you are telling to leave them?! Scotty has about two hours left at this rate! Uhura is not much better! Watt is…"

"You can't help them anyway!" Kirk exclaimed, starting to lose his patience. "The only way to help them live is not letting Dunn die!"

"This is the only logical solution, doctor," Spock added with precision.

There was a short silence, followed by an audible sigh.

"What do you need me to do?" Bones sounded exasperated.

"Just go there and try to find out if Benjamin Dunn is really there. And if he is, we have to know where exactly in the hospital he is. If there is no-one with him, we'll beam him up here".

"And if there is someone with him?" McCoy didn't sound impressed.

"Then we'll think of something else," Kirk finally raised his voice.

There was another audible sigh.

"Got it," Bones replied, sounding even more tired than before.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Sorry the update took so long! I was a bit busy… Thank you for still being with me! This chapter is a bit shorter... Hope you guys enjoy it anyway!_

_I still don't own them…_

**Chapter 17**

Bones looked around him, taking in the general panicked atmosphere, and sighed. His slightest relief at coming back to the familiar sickbay onboard the Enterprise after a short trip to the hospital was wearing off rapidly. People were dying. Or ceasing to exist, which was even more confusing and thus, more worrying.

"What happens if Dunn dies?" Kirk asked his first officer as the two of them were, too, observing the mess at the sickbay. The Vulcan raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I know that some of us will not have been born… or will have been killed… but what will happen to the rest? Will we get to some alternative lives or be stuck here or in some kind of a parallel reality?"

"I am not prepared to answer that question, Captain," Spock replied pensively. He didn't quite want to think about it, either, to be honest. He managed a careful glance over to where Uhura was, among their other fellow crew members.

"Dr McCoy!" one of the nurses yelled all of a sudden, bringing the panic to a whole new level. Bones jogged to where she stood beside Scotty's bed. Jim and Spock couldn't see the engineer but the doctor's face was completely in view, his eyes widening in a mix of emotions they could only interpret as shock, worry and confusion. It only took him a second to recompose himself before he tore his gaze away. "There's nothing we can do for him," the words sounded harsh in his shaking voice. People surrounding the Scotsman stepped slightly to the sides, allowing Kirk and Spock to see him. It was a bizarre sight. Scotty seemed to be getting literally transparent. It didn't look good in the slightest.

Bones made to jog back to his current patient, bumping into the captain on his way.

"Dammit, Jim!" he exclaimed. "Would you at least not stand in the way, _please_!"

"Can you help him, Bones?" Kirk asked, glancing at the unconscious blond man the doctor had been heading to.

"I am trying. I can't be sure but even if everything works, it might take a few days," Bones sighed, rubbing his eyes, as his voice was slightly calmer and lower. "The damage is very extensive and I am afraid it might be too late… And now let me do my job!"

Kirk and Spock nodded and left quietly. As they stepped out of the sickbay, they got slightly thrown aback by the silence and the contrast it made to the chaos they had just been in. Kirk was trying to think of something to say but nothing sprang to his mind.

Getting Benjamin Dunn onboard hadn't been difficult. Bones had played his role perfectly, simply asking at the hospital's reception in which room Dunn had been, after which he had managed to take a look at the hospital's scheme. They had been lucky enough to catch the moment when he had been alone in his room. The rest was a thing of a habit – locking on his coordinates and beaming him up. Now was the least favoured part of the whole thing – waiting and worrying.

Kirk decided on possibly spending those days investigating. They still had no idea how and why Dunn had gotten to kill the Klingon captain and why they had travelled two and a half centuries back in time. His head was spinning. In a desperate attempt to get the truth his mind turned back to the diary and he made his way to the room where it was kept.

However, this only revealed one more problem: the writing on the sheets was so pale it was absolutely impossible to read. There were only some barely visible parts of random letters left but even those seemed to be fading. This wasn't good at all…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ethan Hunt had always thought that his experience had made him used to any kind of weirdness. And yet now he felt lost. People don't just vanish into thin air. And yet Benji, apparently, had. All he had managed to find out was that there had been some strange man asking about him at the reception but nobody had seen that man anywhere even close to the floor Benji had been on. The nurse still swore that she was absolutely sure that nobody had passed her on the way in or out of the room. Which was, clearly, impossible.

He didn't even need to look over at Jane to know that she was feeling the same as him. She was staring silently at some spot on the floor in Brandt's room, her face lacking any expression at all. The grief and despair seemed to have subsided a bit due to the recent events, confusion taking their place.

And then there was Brandt. At the moment blissfully unconscious Brandt. What were they supposed to tell him when he woke up? Ethan couldn't even begin to imagine that conversation.

"So what are we going to do?" Jane asked dully, still not moving her gaze away from the same spot on the floor.

"I think if the hospital's security doesn't find… anything…" Ethan paused. By this point Benji could easily be already dead from whatever causes. However, there was no body, either… "… if they don't find anything, the job will be handed to the police…"


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Thank you for staying with me! Here's another chapter, I hope it's not too messy._

_I don't own the movies._

**Chapter 18**

"Captain?" Spock had been watching Kirk pace the room for a few seconds now without being noticed.

"The communication panel… Scotty told us to have a look at it," Jim seemed to have finally acknowledged the Vulcan's presence.

Spock nodded.

"Even if we manage to get in touch with whomever there is on the other side, they still might refuse to provide us with the answers we need," he noted.

Kirk looked down, thinking hard.

"What if we use their technology?" he suggested after a few seconds of consideration. "Use those things to look like some Klingons? The captain's dead and no-one of his crew seems to know what this all is about. Maybe we can get the explanation that way?" he looked increasingly proud of himself as he spoke. The more he thought of this plan, the better it looked to him.

"Sounds logical," Spock approved. "We have figured how the devices work so we might be able to use them".

"Ensign Chekov," Kirk called out, spotting the young man on his way. "On what stage is the decoding process of the Klingon captain's log?"

"It will be finished soon, Captain," was the reply. "We are having a delay because a lot of people are… ill… so…" he was cut off by the captain's nod. There was no time to waste on talking.

Soon enough they were onboard the Klingon ship, Kirk sporting the look of one of the captured officers. He only hoped that he wouldn't have to speak Klingon as his cover would be blown that very moment. After a short while of fumbling with the machinery Spock managed to activate the device. It took about a minute more to channel the last contact and, amazingly enough, it seemed to work. The screen soon lit up and a Romulan came into view.

"Who are you?" he didn't seem to like spending time on introductions.

Kirk mentally thanked his luck for the fact that he wasn't facing a Klingon.

"My name is Commander Kehlt. I am in charge of the ship after Captain Morath's death," Kirk only hoped he was convincing enough.

"And what do you want, Commander Kehlt?" the Romulan seemed impatient. "Have you finished your work?"

"This is the problem," Kirk sighed inwardly. With enough luck they could get to the truth. "The captain's dead. He didn't tell us what our work was. And who are you?"

The Romulan rolled his eyes.

"My name is Tokath. You don't need to know anything more about me. Your captain had something against the inventor of transwarp beaming," Kirk tried his best to hide any kind of reaction. "We reached an… understanding about our interests and I suggested a plan. I found Montgomery Scott's ancestor who most resembled him, looked up what he was going to do and told your captain who to impersonate".

"How did you do all that? How did you see through time and locate him?" Jim's throat felt dry because of nervousness.

"You are being too curious, Commander Kehlt," the reply was cold, and the last two words were spoken with some contempt. "You are not in position to question my methods. Anyway, I can see some effects now but the work is obviously not finished. Why isn't Dunn dead yet?"

"He's close to death," at least in this case Kirk didn't have to lie.

"Oh, right, your captain wanted to give him a long and painful death… Just get it done".

The screen went dark.

"I think this guy will have to face court when we get back to our time," Kirk mused absently, removing the transformation device from his belt.

"Indeed," Spock agreed. "If we get there alive and well. And if he is found and captured. And…"

"Yes, yes, Mr Spock, I get it, there are a lot of conditions! That's enough," Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You asked him a very fair question, Captain," the first officer noted as they were heading to the ship's transporter room. "I wonder how he saw through time and found Scott's descendant. He must possess some technology or other type of power we don't know about…"

"Yeah, he knew way too much…"

"And also, what time he is in," Spock continued, ignoring the interruption. "It can be some technology invented in the future…"

Kirk only nodded. Everything was just making his head spin more and more. And it wasn't getting any better.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: I am really, really sorry it took me so long to update! Thank you for waiting and I hope the chapter is worth it!_

_I don't own anything…_

**Chapter 19**

The conference room was quiet and peaceful, as if isolated from the panic that had taken over the rest of the ship. Kirk sat in his chair, rubbing his eyes violently and just… waiting. Spock also sat nearby, absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Captain," Chekov's voice sounded in the intercom. "We have decoded the ship's captain's log. There are parts that can be useful…"

Kirk jumped in his seat. Finally there was something to do, something to put his mind into.

"That's great, Chekov! Send it on the speakers in this room".

Soon enough a robotic voice sounded from the speakers. It was a combination of reports of varying length but it wasn't difficult to catch the general logic of it all.

"_Tokath has found Montgomery Scott's ancestor for me. From what I gather, he looks very much like Scott himself. It might make my plan work even better now. More visually gripping. Can't wait to see their faces as they will watch me killing him slowly… killing them both. And they won't be able to do anything…_"

Kirk felt shivers run down his spine. What kind of a twisted monster would want to do something like that? And why? What had Scotty done to receive that amount of hatred? He didn't have the time for further musings as the next entry started.

"_I wonder what Tokath's reasons for helping me are. Although as long as he is on my side, it doesn't matter. He just told me how I can get to this man… this Benjamin Dunn. I hope this masquerade is worth the effort. I know I cannot make Scott feel what I felt but I hope seeing this man, who is obviously his family, however distant, suffer his fate will make him feel something. And I will make sure Dunn's fate is as painful as possible. And then, after witnessing it all, Scott himself will disappear. It really is a good plan. I will both have my revenge and prevent this terror from happening"._

Kirk let out another shudder and glanced over at Spock who looked confused. And that was quite something for a Vulcan.

"_So I need to dress up as this Damien Knox. This is going to be fun, I will get to meet Montgomery Scott's ancestor…"_

"What is his problem," Kirk muttered, feeling increasingly disturbed. Such obsessive hate was scaring him. He also couldn't get what could have caused such a strong feeling. Scotty couldn't have done anything evil. At least intentionally. Apart from the infamous failed experiment with Admiral Archer's beagle and maybe punching someone in the face in a bar fight, not without a good reason, he really couldn't think of anything his Chief Engineer could have done. The next log entry started, snapping the Captain out of his thoughts again.

"_So this is it. Before I go, I want to say that this is all for you, my beloved Lukara. We will be together again. You will be safe this time. Nobody will beam aboard the ship you are on. Nobody will get to you. I will not let this happen. But before that you will be avenged"._

The transmission ended. Kirk and Spock exchanged bewildered glances.

"So it really is to do with transwarp beaming," the captain uttered, his heart pounding wildly in his ears. "I wonder who this Lukara is… and what actually happened to her…"

"I think know about it, Captain," Spock replied, still staring right in front of him. "When I performed the mind meld on the Klingons we captured, there were mentions of her. She was Captain Morath's wife. I believe she was killed while onboard a ship, along with several crew members".

"So her murderer beamed up there? While, I assume, they were travelling on warp speed?"

"Most likely," Spock brought his fingertips together.

"But why go after Scotty?" Kirk was still confused. "I mean, it wasn't Scotty who killed Morath's wife. And if the murderer had been so determined, he might have killed her anyway, without the use of transwarp beaming".

"I assume the murderer has been caught. Morath met Tokath who offered him the plan and helped him execute it. I don't quite understand why he wanted it to happen like _this_…"

Kirk shrugged.

"Revenge, Spock. If whoever it was that killed Morath's wife was caught, it means he must be in prison, and it's not quite as satisfying as Morath wanted. So he decided to turn his rage against someone else," Kirk enjoyed explaining things to Spock. It was one of those relieving moments that showed that the Vulcan didn't know _everything_. He was so into his explanation that he didn't notice the sound of the door sliding open behind him. "In his mind, transwarp beaming made the murder of his wife possible. So he decided to make the inventor pay and he got the chance, as well as the chance to prevent the invention altogether. This is why he decided to have Benjamin Dunn die a slow and painful death – for revenge against someone who unknowingly assisted in killing Lukara".

"I never meant to…" a trembling voice sounded behind the captain, making him spin on his heels. His eyes widened as he saw Scotty, white as snow and shaking with exhaustion, standing by the door, leaning on McCoy who did his best at supporting the engineer in the upright position. "How could I know…?" his eyes were glistening. The doctor led him to the nearest chair and he almost fell into it. "I worked on it to make people's lives better…" he muttered under his breath, barely paying attention to what was going on around him.

"Scotty, why are you here?" Kirk was recovering from his initial shock and, while he was glad to see that the engineer was evidently doing better, it was just as obvious that he was still too weak.

"Doctor, was it wise to take Mr Scott out of the sickbay?" Spock asked coldly when there was no reply from the Scotsman.

"Couldn't out-stubborn him," Bones replied a bit harshly. "Besides, it's Dunn who needs rest and attention. The rest of the crew just depend on his state".

"I guess he's getting better then?" Kirk asked, a weak smile struggling to appear on his face.

"Certainly hope so".


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: As usual, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Love you, guys! Hope this chapter is good enough…_

_I still don't own them._

**Chapter 20**

"So, let's get it straight," Kirk proclaimed, looking at quite a few people gathered at the bridge.

He was sure they deserved and needed to know the truth about what was happening. Some of the crewmen, including Scotty, were in the sickbay, while some of the others were in the crowd, looking at the captain, seeking an explanation. Uhura was in the second group, now sitting in her usual place, supporting her head with her hand, her eyes tired and drowsy.

"The captain of the Klingon ship, Morath, has lost his wife. She was murdered by someone who used transwarp beaming to get to her. Morath decided to take vengeance on both the murderer and the person who, in his eyes, made it possible to happen. We don't know what happened to the killer – he was either caught or killed, - but the next person on Morath's list was Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, inventor of transwarp beaming".

There were several gasps and quiet whispers as the crewmen were shocked at the fact that Morath actually blamed their chief engineer for what had happened. Kirk took a pause to let the whispers die down before continuing.

"Somehow Morath met a Romulan called Tokath who had his own interests we have no idea about. Tokath gave Morath the idea which would allow not only to avenge the death of his wife but also to actually prevent the invention. Tokath also helped him with the needed information – he found this Benjamin Dunn and found out about his plans. Morath pretended to be the person Dunn was going to meet – I assume Tokath somehow found out about those plans – and met Dunn himself".

He took another pause, trying to think of the best way to phrase what he was about to say.

"I don't know what happened next exactly. It seems Morath used some kind of a poison, making Dunn dangerously sick. But Dunn is not so harmless, either, because he killed Morath. I think you know the rest".

"So…" Uhura's voice was weak and yet it was perfectly audible in the silence that took over the bridge. "Who is this Benjamin Dunn?"

There was another silence. Kirk actually had thought about it. Who was this man? The man who was most definitely capable of murder. The man who most likely kept secrets from his own family, even though he didn't have a family yet, it was only yet to come… It didn't seem like anything good.

"I don't really know," the captain finally responded, and a new wave of whispers went through the crowd.

"Either way, we have to keep him alive and well," Spock intervened. "Whoever he is. I think it's perfectly clear by this point. He will stay onboard till his full recovery. We cannot take any risks".

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The light was practically blinding. Hospitals always seemed to be lit very brightly, but this one seemed to have outdone itself. _Wait a second_...

Benji looked around him in bewilderment, constantly having to narrow his eyes because the light really was too bright. The place didn't look like any hospital he had ever been in. The noises were also a messy mix, as the usual sounds of people walking and talking were accompanied by something he had never heard before. As his eyes finally started adjusting to the light, he managed to take in his surroundings – an odd looking room without any windows. And then it all suddenly hit him.

It was obviously a dream. He should have gotten used to it. The fact that he could see and hear clearly meant it was all a creation of his comatose mind. Or maybe he had died and it was some kind of a weird afterlife. Or whatever happens to the mind after death. He only regretted he hadn't gotten to see his friends for the one last time and say goodbye to them. He clearly remembered Jane squeezing his had as he had been lying there, cut off from all communication with the world.

The door slid open and a man walked in.

"Oh, you are awake!" the man smiled. "How are you feeling… Mr Dunn, is it?"

"Fine, thanks," Benji found it incredibly hard to speak. He was looking at the stranger in front of him with slightly dull curiosity. He expected the dream to change any moment, and till that happened, why not go along with it. The man seemed to be taken slightly aback by his reaction or, to be precise, lack thereof.

"Oh, sorry," he blurted out a bit awkwardly. "My name is Dr Leonard McCoy. I've been taking care of you for the past two days".

"Alright," Benji agreed calmly. "Thank you".

The doctor frowned.

"You don't react the way we expected you to," he muttered. "Aren't you gonna ask where you are?"

Benji chuckled.

"Does it really matter? Okay then, where am I?"

Bones didn't know if he was supposed to say it but it was he who had put himself in this situation.

"You are onboard the starship USS Enterprise," he proclaimed.

"A _starship_?" the patient raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Fine".

"You don't believe it's real, do you," McCoy finally realised. "You think you are asleep or something…"

"It's the only logical explanation," Benji shrugged.

"You and your logic," McCoy rubbed his face. His acquaintance with Spock made him feel sick at every mention of the word. "Well, I'm telling you, it's real. I'll be back shortly".


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_I do not own them._

**Chapter 21**

Benji's trance was broken by the sound of someone rushing into the room. He opened his eyes to see the doctor from a few minutes ago, accompanied by two familiar looking men.

"So you're here, too?" he wasn't very impressed.

"Mr Dunn," Kirk was trying to hold back his impatience. Such reaction really was slightly confusing but, in a way, he had to have expected it. "My name is James T. Kirk, Captain of starship USS Enterprise".

Benji raised an eyebrow in a manner that would have made Spock proud, if not for the smile that appeared on his face. This dream was getting interesting.

"Are you from the future?" he asked, studying Kirk's features.

The captain couldn't hold back the flashbacks. Despite Dunn wasn't Scottish and, naturally, lacked the accent, it still reminded Kirk of his first meeting with Scotty.

"Yes," Jim replied after suppressing a smile. "You are taking it rather well…"

"He thinks it's all a dream," McCoy muttered grumpily.

"That's a fairly logical assumption," Spock remarked, causing Benji to finally move his gaze to look at him. The Englishman's eyes widened slightly when he noticed the Vulcan's unusually shaped ears.

"Are you an alien?" he asked, staring at Spock with child-like curiosity.

"To you I am," Spock replied coldly. "I am Commander Spock. First Officer of the ship".

Benji nodded. This _was_ obviously a dream but why not have a laugh and join in?

"So why am I here?" he asked.

"There was a Kli… a man from our time who was trying to kill you," Kirk answered as carefully as he could.

Benji smirked. Both in real life and his dreams someone always tried to kill him. Would he ever catch a break? He suddenly wondered what it would be like to have a normal life. To start a family, get a less dangerous job… Now this prospect looked less likely than ever.

"Why?" he inquired. "Why did this man want to kill me?"

Spock raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Interesting," he muttered. "It looks like you don't find it strange that someone wanted to kill you. You just want to know this particular person's reason".

"Professional habit," Benji shrugged. "So what did this man want?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Kirk blurted out. "But what kind of profession would form habits like that?"

Benji tensed. This dream was getting weird. What if someone had gotten him in this state to make him open all the secrets in his delirium?

"Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you that, either," he replied sternly. "How long am I going to be on this… _ship_?"

"As soon as we make sure that you are fully recovered, you are free to go," Bones assured him.

Benji rubbed his face. It was getting him nowhere. Why wasn't he waking up?... He was tired. Weird feeling for a dream…

"You need to rest," the doctor's voice was a bit softer this time.

Benji closed his tired eyes. This light thing was giving him a headache. Who the hell decided to light the place so brightly? It was flaring in his eyes almost painfully. He wondered if it would still be there when he woke up. If _anything_ would be there when he woke up. _If_ he woke up…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bewilderment was the first thing Benji felt when he woke up in the same room again. He didn't know what to think so he decided to give up and go along with door opened and the doctor came in again, this time alone.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, looking at the patient intently.

"Uh... fine," Benji was confused. Was he going completely mad? And what if everything he had been told was true? No, that was just too crazy.

"Can you stand?" McCoy asked, approaching him.

"I don't know, I guess…" with the help from the doctor Benji got up. It felt odd to stand on his legs after so long. After a few moments of shaking the agent finally found his ground.

Just as the exercise was over, two more people walked in. One of them was very young and looked almost like a teenager. Benji's glance, however, was glued to the other man. He remembered that face. It was pretty much impossible for him to forget it, as it looked too much like his own.

The younger man seemed to be equally stunned upon seeing the picture. His eyes wide, he only managed to swear mildly under his breath… in Russian for some reason.

"Watch your language," Benji exclaimed in Russian, purely to witness the reaction. And it was definitely highly amusing. The young man blushed and looked down awkwardly.

"You speak Russian?" it was McCoy who voiced the collective question.

"Along with some other languages," Benji shrugged. In the surrealism of the situation he felt like he didn't need to clarify too many things. "Who are you?"

"Pavel Andreievich Chekov," the Russian blurted out with a smile. However, he soon realised that Dunn's main attention was focused on the engineer.

"I am Montgomery Scott, chief engineer," he introduced himself. "But friends call me Scotty".

"Nice to meet you," Benji decided to join this madness, nodding at both of the men in front of him. "Benjamin Dunn. I think you already know that. Friends call me Benji".

_Friends_… Benji suddenly felt very lonely. Wherever he was, be it the depths of his mind, the afterlife or even onboard a starship from the future, his friends were far away. At least if what they were saying was true and it really was the last option, he had that chance to come back. But the chance of _that_ being true was way too slim…

"Alright, that's enough for now," Bones said quietly. Benji felt something touch his neck, like a tiny injection, and everything went dark.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This chapter… is just a lot of dialogue, sorry. I hope you enjoy it though…_

_I don't own them._

**Chapter 22**

Scotty still didn't feel well but in comparison to his state a few days back he was doing wonderful. Now he was watching his ancestor sleep, curiosity peaking in his mind. Who was he? And what happened in his future that made him leave his family which he appeared to love so much? Scotty remembered having these questions when he had first read the diary many years ago. Now it was all rushing back to him with multiplied force, as the man in question was right there in front of him.

His mind then wandered further and he focused his gaze on some abstract spot on the floor. He sure had no idea who Benjamin Dunn was but he, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, was the reason why Dunn had nearly been killed. Who knew that everything could have turned out so complicated? What if his invention had caused more harm than good? He sighed. He didn't want to live with that on his conscious...

"So," he suddenly heard from the bed, "um… Scotty, right? Why am I here, again?"

Scotty flinched. He didn't know how much he was supposed to tell the other man. The weirdness of seeing essentially the blond and English version of himself who he knew was his great-great-great-and-so-on-grandfather didn't make things easier, either.

"Hasn't the Captain told you?" he said reluctantly. "Someone tried to kill you…"

Benji smirked.

"In the past few years I've been nearly killed so many times by so many people that I've already lost count," he made a pause, as if acknowledging how unusual that must have sounded. "And yet nobody came from the 'future' to intervene until now".

"Well, yeah, whatever," Benji shrugged. He looked at the Scotsman more attentively, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Is there a reason why we... why we look so alike?"

Scotty felt his uneasiness grow beyond limits.

"I... I don't know..." he stuttered.

One of the vital skills for every secret agent is the ability to read people. Benji had learned it, sometimes the hard way. Even so, it didn't take a secret agent to see that the engineer was lying, and was not very good at it, either.

"Fine," Benji sighed. He was so lost by this point that he didn't even care about anything and gave up on trying to cling to any logic and make sense out of the situation. "So you're from the future, huh? And you're traveling through time and space? Were the theories correct? That you have to go faster than the speed of light to go back in time?"

Scotty had to fight the temptation of explaining the time travel to his new-found relative.

"Sorry, lad," he said with the obvious regret in his voice, "can't tell you that".

"Yeah, I get it, butterfly effect, chaos theory, all that" Benji made a bored face. "I wonder what you use to make the ship's structure strong enough to be able to function at such a speed…"

There was a pause. For some reason Scotty had a feeling that the Englishman's interest in technology was bigger than that of an average person. However, he still felt too suspicious to warm up to him completely.

"Are you really into science?" he asked all of a sudden with a childish enthusiasm in his eyes.

"Yeah, kind of," Benji smiled. "I, uh… I work with technology a lot. I was actually considering pursuing something of a scientific career when I was young. But… guess I wanted more adventure in my life".

The agent didn't know why he was saying all this. Maybe he just needed to talk to someone who was far from the spy-movie world he lived in. And what could be farther than a person from some far, far future? Regardless of whether it was a real person or just a figment of his imagination.

"And did you get the adventure you wanted?" the Scotsman asked carefully.

Benji chuckled humourlessly.

"More than I could have ever dreamt," he grumbled. "I sometimes miss the peace and quiet of the lab".

"Science…" Scotty sighed. "And what if you invented something… something meant for good, and then it turned out that it was used for bad purposes? And people died. And they blamed you, along with the bastard who did it?"

Dunn shrugged.

"I don't know the details of what you are talking about but… with this logic we can blame the invention of the steam engine for countless things that happened afterwards. Cause that's where so many other inventions started, right?"

"Aye… I just almost feel like I killed those people… like I was responsible…"

Benji's features suddenly became stiff.

"Have you ever killed someone?" he asked after a long pause. "Have you ever actually taken someone's life on purpose, knowing what you are doing?"

"No…" Scotty was slightly alarmed now.

"Well, then you don't know what it feels like," he remembered his first kill. At that moment he hadn't had any emotions. He was led solely by reason and logic. Take out Wistrom – everyone is saved. Waste any second more – millions of people will die. Well, maybe there was some fury added to the mix but it was also logically needed to silence down all other feelings. "In situations like that you don't have a choice," he said, noticing the Scot's worried look. "That man was trying to kill my friend. And a lot of other people. And even knowing that I still don't feel right about it. Things like that just never leave, you know".

Scotty was analising the information. The man certainly didn't seem to be a criminal. Whoever he was, he seemed to be serving the greater good. Maybe he was one of some authorities... or some kind of army or some other force like that. It made the engineer feel a bit more relaxed.

Benji fell silent, thinking back to his friends. If what was going on around him was real, what would they be thinking now? Possibly that he had been kidnapped. He wasn't quite sure how he had gotten on the ship, too. If it was a dream though...

"I don't know what to believe, but if this is a dream, then I don't want to wake up," he declared, startling even himself with the way his voice sounded.

"Why?" Scotty's eyes widened a bit.

"Because when I do, I'll be back to being a blind, deaf, entirely helpless body lying in a hospital bed, making my friends miserable," his voice cracked. "Although I'm no better to them when I'm asleep, either…" he tried to imagine what they must be going through. Was Brandt okay? He hoped Jane and Ethan were now paying more attention to the analyst instead of being upset about _him_.

And what if he was dead? What if this was the correct theory? His teammates would be upset for a while, but then they would eventually get a new mission. They would get to work with another technical agent. That was the way things worked. They all lost their teammates at some point. They had a dangerous job, losses happened every now and again. They were used to it. That way they would get over it quite fast. This was probably the best option. Or the second best, if the madness was actually true and he really was onboard a starship from the future…


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Thank you for your support guys! We're almost there! Hope you like this one…_

_I still don't own them…_

**Chapter 23**

Jane was sitting in a chair in a hospital waiting room, rubbing her face fiercely. This couldn't be happening. This could _not_ be happening. People didn't just vanish into the thin air. She was considering having a private talk with the nurse who had been near Benji's room. She definitely wasn't telling them everything, either deliberately or unwillingly. Obviously, Benji couldn't have left on his own accord. She could feel her stomach twist at the thought that he might be dead by this time, and very likely so. Died without his friends by his side... Didn't get to say goodbye or even just acknowledge how much he had meant to them... She shook herself, blocking those thoughts for now and finding it surprisingly easy to do so. Now they had a mystery to focus on. They were used to being able to put their feelings to the side when there was something else to set their minds upon. That brought some strange relief which made Jane feel slightly guilty.

She didn't have to even look at Ethan to know he was feeling the same thing. Too bad the mystery was a bit too complicated to comprehend...

"What are we going to do?" she kept asking again and again, until Ethan had stopped answering. This time there was no reply, either. "I think I'm gonna talk to the nurse".

Ethan tensed. He knew Jane was nervous now. And he knew too well what she was capable of when she was nervous. Besides, the girl didn't seem like she was lying, as far as he could judge from his experience. That, of course, didn't guarantee anything for sure, but still, everything about this was too confusing. Why would anyone go through the risk and bother of kidnapping an unconscious dying person with no chance of recovery? If they needed something from Benji himself, it was impossible to get it, Ethan thought, feeling invisible needles poke at his insides. If they needed Benji as leverage to get to his friends, why was there still no message, after almost twenty hours? And again, a dying person wouldn't be a very effective leverage, either.

"Brandt is going to wake up soon," Jane suddenly uttered, her voice lacking any kind of emotion.

"Yeah," the team leader had to admit that was a true fact. Jane, however, found his short reply extremely irritating.

"'_Yeah'_? What are we gonna tell him? Hey Brandt, nice to see you're awake, but while you were asleep, we kinda lost Benji. Yeah, just like in The Hangover. But we're sure we're gonna find him, it's not like he was dying or anything".

Ethan's glare made her go silent all at once. Her sarcasm was not helping, and she knew it perfectly well. Besides, strictly speaking, Ethan was sure Brandt had heard the news about Benji's disappearance before passing out.

"Excuse me," a voice broke the silence which neither of the agents had realised to have lasted quite long. A doctor was standing in the doorway. "You are friends of Mr William Brandt, right?"

"Yes," the two confirmed, almost expecting the doctor to tell them that Brandt had vanished, too.

"Your friend is going to wake up any time now. You can go and wait in his room".

The agents were reluctant as they stood up from their chairs and walked into the corridor. The entire way to the room was silent, until Jane stopped by the door, looking inside at the sleeping analyst.

"So what are we going to tell him?" she asked, this time without a shade of sarcasm or irritation. She sounded lost and just plain tired. Ethan shrugged.

"The truth," he replied. "That Benji has… disappeared".

Jane sighed.

"Disappeared," she repeated. "There is no evidence, no trace, no… no body," she swallowed after saying the last word. "He's just… gone".

Suddenly she felt some weight press on her shoulder. At the same moment, before she could react, she heard a voice right next to her ear.

"Who's gone?"

Both she and Ethan turned around sharply to see two men standing there. One of them was a doctor, the levels of bewilderment on his face beating any possible world record in the area. The second man was the one who had spoken, having put his head on Jane's shoulder. Her sudden turn nearly made him bite his tongue, and now he was looking at her with his blue eyes opened widely. There was a heavy silence, as Jane and Ethan froze and the other two men were showing different stages of shock.

"Where have you been?" Jane finally whispered, unable to get her voice to be louder. "Where the _hell_ have you been?!" this time it was a yell. However, she still seemed to be unable to move.

"I don't… I don't know…" Benji took an involuntary step back. He looked almost as confused as the doctor next to him. "I really don't know".

Jane was still staring at her friend who was now standing in front of her, alive and well. Her eyes were welling up but she didn't pay attention to it. She couldn't stop looking at the face she had thought she would never see again. Ethan was faster to recover, moving his gaze to the totally freaked out doctor.

"I don't know what happened, either," he started to explain, feeling Ethan's glare making holes in his head. "When we walked into his room, he was just… there, waking up. He wanted to see his friends…"

Only now the doctor's shock seemed to subside a bit and he realised he shouldn't have let the patient walk so far despite even the evident miraculous recovery.

"Mr… uh… Mr Dunn, I think we might have to run some additional tests…" he muttered timidly.

Jane felt that she might have gone mad. If she had, she liked this state better. She would prefer to stay like this if she were to choose. Nothing made sense, she felt no connection to reality, but they were all alive. Benji wasn't dead or dying and Brandt was about to come back soon… she knew she was going to wake up at some point but she really didn't want to…


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Thanks everyone for the support, you've been great! The story is coming to an end. After this chapter there is going to be only an epilogue. I really hope you enjoy it!_

_I don't own them._

**Chapter 24**

"What's with Brandt?" Benji peered inside the room, and his voice was full of concern.

"Pulled the stitches," Ethan replied. "He's going to be fine. It's you who got us worried most. Do you really have no explanation for this?"

"I'm telling you, I just… woke up," Benji sounded just as startled as the rest of them. "I don't know how it happened, it just… did. And Jane… can you please let go of my arm? I don't feel very comfortable with it twisted like that".

Jane hadn't even realised she had been pulling at Benji's arm all this time, and considering how they were now standing, it really was twisted kind of awkwardly. She let go of it sharply, as if nothing had happened.

To be completely honest, Benji really had no idea what had actually happened. He vaguely remembered being onboard a space ship, the idea itself seeming incredibly ridiculous to him now.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I know how to get us back!" Scotty proclaimed proudly, looking at Kirk and Spock with shiny eyes. He still wasn't quite back to normal, even though Benji seemed to be completely healthy now. At first they had found it odd but then Spock had found an explanation. They had to take Benji's life as close to the way it had been before as possible, in hope that things would go as they were supposed to. Merely saving his life was obviously not enough. However, it seemed that their chances were quite high.

Both the captain and the first officer raised their heads eagerly.

"It's brilliant!" the engineer went on. "I talked to Benji and told him about our problem – without much detail, obviously, - and he suggested that we need something with a very strong gravitational field, and…"

"Yes, we get it," Kirk rolled his eyes. It was both endearing and sort of funny to see how proud the Scotsman was of his ancestor who turned out to be 'exceptionally intelligent for his species of the time', as Spock had put it, although his behaviour was a bit too emotional for the Vulcan's liking. Now, however, Spock seemed slightly disappointed that the captain had interrupted Scott. But he was going to ask him about it in detail anyway.

"How long will it take to do? And how are we going to take Dunn back?"

"We can do it anytime now," Scotty replied, a bit annoyed at being cut off like that. "And in the process we can beam Benji back quite close to the time we took him from".

The rest was easy. Scotty only felt the need to come back to the agent to have a final little talk.

"Just make sure you do the right thing in your life, lad," the Scotsman concluded, prompting a confused look from the other man. The look didn't last long, as McCoy was there in no time, putting the Englishman to sleep peacefully.

"Maybe it's a good thing he thought he was asleep," Uhura mused as the crew gathered in the transporter room to watch Benjamin being beamed down. They still knew very little about him but those who had gotten to talk to him found him to be a genuinely nice person, which made some of their suspicions go down.

"He might feel less weird when he wakes up, yeah," Sulu agreed. "But we still aren't getting him right to the time when he was taken here".

"Maybe nobody noticed he was missing?" Chekov suggested hesitantly and was rewarded with a collective incredulous glare.

"So what happens now?" Sulu asked after a pause when their guest was gone. The captain shrugged.

"We must deal with Tokath, that Romulan," he replied. "Find him and make sure he's punished for his actions. Whatever his reasons were…"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Consciousness was coming to Brandt slowly. He opened his eyes for a split second and had to close them immediately. Too bright. Better recollect everything first. He was in a hospital. Got shot, right. Wait, that was too long ago... That's right, he had pulled his stitches. Now it was all coming back to him. The panic and sorrow at the perhaps most miserable sight he had ever witnessed. Benji, his best friend, broken beyond any measure. Unseeing and unhearing. To weak to move and barely breathing. Wait, there was something else... He had woken up after the surgery before, and Jane and Ethan had come to see him... And then that young nurse had come in and... Brandt's heartbeat peaked, his breathing increasing in pace uncontrollably. _It's all over. He's dead, Will. At least he's not suffering anymore..._ He swallowed, getting prepared to open his eyes again...

"Rise and shine," he suddenly heard the English-accented voice he knew too well. The shock turned out to be a very effective waking up technique, as he opened his eyes widealy and got a headache because of this careless action. Slowly, his sight was coming back to him and his surroundings were coming into view. There was Ethan sitting in a chair, his legs outstetched in front of him, his eyes a bit red and swollen, no doubt because of the time he had spent without any rest. To the other side of the bed there was Jane, looking just as tired as the team leader, if not more. However, like Ethan, she was smiling. The analyst's gaze travelled further to the side, and his eyes went even wider when he finally saw the source of the voice he had heard. Up to this moment, for those few seconds, he had assumed that voice to be part of his drug-induced dream. However, there he was, Benjamin Dunn, IMF agent, former technician, sitting there right beside Jane, very much alive and even smiling. He was still wearing hospital pyjamas, as if to remind Brandt that the events of the past days had really happened. Apart from that, however, nothing indicated that Benji had been so close to death so shortly before.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the Englishman remarked with a hint of genuine concern. "Are you alright?"

It was only now that Brandt realised he had been staring at Benji for a bit too long, and he blinked, his eyes still wide. He managed a nod, making his friends chuckle quietly.

_The power of speech, Will, you have it, now is the time to use it._

"B-Benji?" _good, that is a word, that definitely is. And it is also a somewhat relevant word_. "Wh-wh…?" _not a very good try this time but A for the effort._ Benji's face became more serious.

"I don't know what happened. Everything just got fine… and I have no idea how," he looked down and for a tiny short moment it occurred to Brandt that he might know more than he was letting them see. The analyst didn't have much more time to ponder on that, as one more voice could be heard.

"That's it, Mr Dunn, we let you wait for your friend to wake up, now we need to run some tests," there was a doctor standing by the door.

Benji frowned and made a sulky face.

"Sure," he replied, standing up. He looked at his friends and added, "I'll be right back".

Brandt watched the techie until the door closed behind him. His shocked glance then fell on the team leader.

"Don't ask," Ethan shrugged exhaustedly. "No idea".


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: So here we are. The epilogue. I would like to thank you all for your support and reviews. It was a very risky idea and I was really worried when I started this story so I'm happy you enjoyed it. I hope you like this little epilogue, too._

_I don't own them._

**Epilogue**

"You know…" Benji started a bit awkwardly, feeling kind of guilty for some reason. "While I was… in a coma or… I don't know… I saw such bizarre things. Like the weirdest and craziest dreams ever".

"That's understandable," Jane replied as soothingly as she could. Ethan nodded, agreeing with her, but Brandt, still in bed, looked at the Englishman attentively, furrowing his brow. He noticed there was something slightly different bothering the former technician.

Benji shook his head.

"That's not the point," he said quietly. "It's that… in the past years I've seen so much crazy stuff that I find myself being able to believe any kind of madness. I sometimes wonder… What would it be like to have a normal life?" he looked at Ethan, who sighed.

"It didn't work well for me," he said in a low voice.

"Wait," Brandt raised his head, his gaze jumping from the team leader to the technician. "Are you saying you want to… retire?"

Benji didn't reply at once, making a pause that spoke volumes.

"Not right now," he said at last. "Maybe after the next mission… Come on guys, we can still be friends!" he added sheepishly, seeing the others' expressions.

"We will always be," Ethan assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder and offering him a smile. "I don't know if we can see each other that much but we'll stay close. Just in case".

Benji nodded. He knew it would be hard but he hadn't expected it to be this hard. But they _would_ stay close. That much he knew for sure.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The ship was quiet, as everything and everyone was finally in peace. A few hours before it had been announced that Tokath had been located. Soon he would be caught to face the trial. And he did have quite a few questions to answer.

Scotty, as well as the meny other crewmen, was back to being fully capable and healthy. All was well. He was particularly curious to know more about Tokath, even wanted tp take part in his capture. Kirk completely understood that, even though he couldn't allow it.

Captain James T. Kirk was looking at the last sheet of paper from what was left of the diary.

_It's my Birthday today. I don't know why but I kept thinking that would come back on this day. It doesn't even make any sense. Why would he? Maybe he is really dead..._

_The day went well, my friends gave me some great presents. Why do I feel so sad then? It's a bit silly. He's been gone for years. I should get used to thinking he's not coming back._

_Anyway, I'm heading to bed now. Hopefully things will get better tomorrow._

Then there was one more paragraph scribbled in a rushed handwriting. Kirk had to narrow his eyes to make out the words.

_I just got back up because the doorbell rang. I ran downstairs and Mum said there was something delivered for me. Some flowers. No card, no sender's address. Mum has no idea where they could come from. But I know. Now I know I've been right all this time. Those flowers are violets._

The last word was circled a few times. Those were the last remaining lines of the diary, as right after that the paper was torn.

**The End**


End file.
